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De nieuwe opdrachten voor de Kamer voor ondernemingen in moeilijkheden en de herstructureringsdeskundige
No full textAbstract: In deze bijdrage bespreken we de hervormingen ingevoerd door de Wet van 7 juni 2023 met betrekking tot de werking en de bevoegdheden van de kamer voor ondernemingen in moeilijkheden en de invoering van de herstructureringsdeskundige. De hervormingen gebeurden naar aanleiding van de implementatie van de Europese Herstructureringsrichtlijn, maar niet alle wetswijzigingen vinden hun oorsprong in deze richtlijn
The heterogeneous influence of media on climate knowledge and opinion in a context of science-based climate coverage
No full textAbstract: Climate change is one of the main challenges of our time, yet public support for climate action is lacking. This study scrutinizes the role of the media in educating the public on climate change and examines how media use relates to citizens\u2019 climate-related public opinion. We test two models of opinion formation: the deficit model, which posits that media dissemination of scientific information can enhance climate knowledge, leading to increased climate-friendly attitudes and behavior; and the motivated reasoning model, which suggests that citizens interpret information in a biased manner. Conducted in a context where climate coverage is mostly science-based, our cross-sectional survey provides evidence for both models. The relationship between media use and climate knowledge varies by media type and citizens\u2019 ideology. Additionally, media use influences not only citizens\u2019 cognitions but also their climate predispositions
Prioritising humanitarian aid funding for multi-risk disasters in an era of climatic damage
No full textAbstract: The intersection of multi-risk disasters is a wicked problem for resource prioritisation. How do we effectively allocate funding to humanitarian aid when disasters compound and cascade with natural and human-made hazards \u2013 especially with climatic and non-climatic factors? Our research builds on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommendation to use multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to examine this. For the first time, stochastic multi-attribute analysis (SMAA), a subtype of MCDA, is used to compare and prioritise funding for 26 fragile countries that were encountering a humanitarian crisis in 2023. The model integrates field data from the INFORM Severity dataset and expert weighting preferences from the United Nations, European Union, World Bank, research and public sectors, and civil society. Finally, we compared the prioritisation with the official funding requirements of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA). Our descriptive analysis broadly aligns with the current humanitarian funding requirements, except for countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Myanmar, which should receive a higher allotment, and Ukraine and Syria, which seem to be provided with undue support. The results confirm that a probabilistic multi-risk assessment combined with expert weighting produces a tangible and explainable funding allocation for policymaking and operational activities. These findings provide important insights in distributing scarce resources transparently yet effectively - particularly considering the funding freeze of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
All is fish that comes to the net : peasant fishing on the English South Coast in the turbulent late Middle Ages
No full textAbstract: Peasants living on the coastlines of late medieval England could rely on more than their farmland alone: although not all peasants had equal access to the sea, a sizeable group was actively involved in small-scale maritime fisheries. This dissertation wants to shed light on these pluriactive coastal dwellers that have been overlooked by most of recent historiography. Despite the length and variety of the English coast, research into the agricultural- and peasant history of medieval England has remained predominantly landlocked. Meanwhile studies on medieval fisheries tend to focus on the scale enlargement and commercialisation that took place throughout the Middle Ages, assuming small-scale fishing lost importance over time. Coastal inhabitants are instead more often considered in disaster studies, which has led to an image of the medieval coast as a dangerous place. The coasts also boasted resources and opportunities, however, of which fish are a prime example. Adding peasant fishing to the picture broadens our understanding of the diversity of \u201cmedieval fishermen\u201d beyond the specialists who left the shores for months on end. More importantly, it highlights peasant strategies and mindsets, especially in the face of the various turbulences the Late Medieval period is known for. Relying on administrative documents of multiple manors and other estates across three regions on the English South Coast, this research compiles numerous traces of peasant fishing activities, highlighting their commonplace nature even at the end of the Middle Ages. The dissertation details how the combination of fishing and agriculture could occur in a variety of ways depending on local circumstances. It was also culturally embedded, as access to knowledge and technology ran along networks of kin and community. Finally, coastal peasants fished not as a matter of coercion or desperation, but because it was desirable to them. It was a systematically practiced means of income diversification, which its participants valued in particular for its capacity to minimise risk and generate stability. In this way, where peasant fisheries continued and at times flourished, this should not be regarded as a failure of these fisheries to commercialise. Instead, for those able to participate, it was a matter of utilising the available resources in the ways that supported them best
Policy promotion or community care : explaining the dual activities of LGBTQ plus organizations
No full textAbstract: LGBTQ+ organizations have a crucial dual role. They advocate and lobby for equality, while simultaneously providing vital services for LGBTQ+ communities. Different literatures provide perspectives on the hybridity of these organizations' activities, highlighting the relation between political context and organizational capabilities. Yet, each body of literature emphasizes different elements. Building on key insights from nonprofit, social movement, and interest group literatures, this study investigates the contextual and organizational factors shaping the political and community-oriented activities of 294 LGBTQ+ organizations across 17 European Union countries. Using a unique dataset, it reveals that organizations faced with governmental repression reduce their political activities and increase their community-oriented activities. Organizational factors such reliance on membership fees and amount of funding sources have only a limited influence on organizations' activities. These findings offer a more comprehensive understanding of how political and organizational contexts shape the work of LGBTQ+ organizations and emphasize the need for LGBTQ+ organizations to balance advocacy with community engagement, particularly in diverse and repressive environments
Heritage crime, ideologies and situational crime prevention : the case of the Fantoft Stave Church
No full textAbstract: In this short case study I outline the context and legacy of the presumed arson attack in 1992 on the Fantoft Stave Church on the outskirts of Bergen, Norway. No-one was ever convicted of this particular crime, although the suspect was infamous for his neopagan ideology, participation in Black Metal and various other extremist movements and for comparable church arsons. The restored church is today open to the public seasonally, and although the threat of arson from followers of Black Metal seems to have subsided, the site now has numerous significant and highly visible security measures on and around it. These are typical Situational Crime Prevention techniques, which are associated with attempts to reduce heritage crimes in particular. The legacy of the incident is that the cultural status of the church is no longer that of being an \u201cauthentic\u201d heritage site, and it is also regarded as a site connected with the Black Metal movement. This legacy also positions Fantoft Stave Church as an exemplar of Situational Crime Prevention measures for vulnerable heritage sites, especially in light of repeat victimisation concerns
Why top politicians are pessimistic or optimistic about democracy and its evolution
No full textAbstract: Amid widespread concerns about the crisis of democracy, scant scholarly attention has been given to the views of elite politicians who are at the helm of democracy and, for instance, have the ability to halt democratic erosion and improve citizens\u2019 support for democracy. In this paper we addresses this important gap by investigating whether and why top politicians in Belgium and Australia are optimistic or pessimistic about democracy and its evolution. Drawing on 44 in-depth interviews with party leaders and ministers, we conduct a qualitative content analysis to examine the reasons behind elites\u2019 optimism or pessimism about how \u201ctheir\u201d democracy is evolving. From their reflections, we learn that there is quite some variation in politicians\u2019 views but that many, especially in Belgium, are pessimistic about how democracy evolves. The main source of pessimism stems from the tension between citizens\u2019 expectations and politicians\u2019 ability to deliver on these expectations. Elites say that politicians these days tend to overpromise what they can deliver, and citizens \u2013 fueled by (social) media and extremist opposition forces \u2013 are viewed as harboring unrealistic expectations. Yet, while top politicians are ultimately responsible for shaping democracy, they do not seem to take responsibility for halting the crisis of democracy
Psychotropic polypharmacy among Belgian nursing home residents with mild to moderate dementia
No full textAbstract: Objectives: Dementia is the most common reason for nursing home admission and is increasingly prevalent. Behavioral and psychiatric symptoms are common in dementia and are commonly treated with psychotropic medications. However, nursing home residents are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of potentially inappropriate medication. This observational study aimed to determine the rate of psychotropic drug use and psychotropic polypharmacy among Belgian nursing home residents with mild to moderate dementia. Design: This is a cross-sectional study examining the prevalence of psychotropic medication use. Setting and participants: Data were collected from the charts of 494 residents with dementia in 23 Belgian nursing homes. Methods: Medications were categorized according to the Belgian Centre for Pharmacotherapeutic Information. The total number of psychotropic medications and prevalence of psychotropic polypharmacy ( 652 daily psychotropic medications) were calculated, and the effects of age, sex, duration of nursing home stay, dementia severity, and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms were examined. Results: A total of 68.6% of residents used at least 1 kind of psychotropic medication, 40.3% used 652, and 14% used 653. Hypnotics, sedatives, and anxiolytics were the most prescribed category (45.3%), followed by antidepressants (33.0%) and antipsychotics (29.6%). Younger age and female sex were associated with a higher number of psychotropic medications used. More severe polypharmacy was also associated with higher severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Conclusions and implications: There is a high prevalence of psychotropic drug use among Belgian nursing home residents with dementia. This is comparable with findings in other countries. Considering the risk of adverse effects, we advise further efforts to review the use of potentially inappropriate medications. Keywords: Nursing home; dementia; polypharmacy; psychotropic medication
Sequentiality and simultaneity in R&D collaboration with multiple partner types : complexity and managerial resource constraints in R&D projects
No full textAbstract: R&D collaborations involving multiple types of partners have the potential to generate impactful innovations but also pose significant coordination challenges. Taking a coordination perspective, this study develops and tests a theoretical framework on the optimal temporal coordination of partner relationships in such collaborations. We argue that the effective coordination of multiple types of collaboration partners in R&D projects requires a balanced approach, combining episodes of simultaneous involvement of all partners with periods of sequential engagement with individual partners. Moreover, we propose that the relative emphasis on simultaneous versus sequential involvement depends on project-specific factors, including the complexity of technology development and the availability of managerial resources. Our analysis of 454 R&D projects undertaken by a major European electronics firm, in collaboration with diverse partner types (science-based partners such as universities and research institutions, versus market-based partners such as suppliers and customers), provides robust empirical support for these hypotheses
Towards greener-by-design fine chemicals: part 1 : synthetic frontiers
No full textAbstract: In the face of intensifying market needs and mounting environmental pressures, the pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors must revisit core aspects of process design. This review proposes a forward-looking framework for "greener-by-design" manufacturing, emphasizing the integration of sustainability from the earliest stages of synthetic planning through to industrial implementation. We focus on four interdependent levers that collectively enable this transformation: (i) solvent choice, with an emphasis on minimization, substitution, or complete elimination; (ii) substrate sourcing, favoring renewable and biomass-derived feedstocks to reduce fossil dependency; (iii) catalyst development, exploring the use of base metals, novel heterogeneous systems, and biocatalysts; and (iv) continuous-flow processing, which enhances safety, scalability, and process control. These strategies are not meant to be applied in isolation but rather in a synergistic, end-to-end manner that accounts for the full lifecycle of chemical products. By aligning synthetic efficiency with environmental responsibility, this review outlines a practical and actionable roadmap for the sustainable production of high-value fine chemicals. The convergence of synthetic chemistry with process engineering, data science, and life cycle thinking will be critical to realizing this vision, ultimately enabling more robust, circular, and future-proof manufacturing paradigms