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Exploratory hierarchical factor analysis with an application to psychological measurement
No full textHierarchical factor models, which include the bifactor model as a special case, are useful in social and behavioural sciences for measuring hierarchically structured constructs. Specifying a hierarchical factor model involves imposing hierarchically structured zero constraints on a factor loading matrix, which is often challenging. Therefore, an exploratory analysis is needed to learn the hierarchical factor structure from data. Unfortunately, there does not exist an identifiability theory for the learnability of this hierarchical structure, nor a computationally efficient method with provable performance. The method of Schmid-Leiman transformation, which is often regarded as the default method for exploratory hierarchical factor analysis, is flawed and likely to fail. The contribution of this paper is three-fold. First, an identifiability result is established for general hierarchical factor models, which shows that the hierarchical factor structure is learnable under mild regularity conditions. Second, a computationally efficient divide-and-conquer approach is proposed for learning the hierarchical factor structure. Finally, asymptotic theory is established for the proposed method, showing that it can consistently recover the true hierarchical factor structure as the sample size grows to infinity. The power of the proposed method is shown via simulation studies and a real data application to a personality test. The computation code for the proposed method is publicly available at https://github.com/EmetSelch97/EHFA/
Generative AI and the algorithmic workplace: a bibliometric and conceptual analysis of its impact on organisational decision-making and work design
Get PDFThis study investigates how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is transforming the architecture of the workplace and reconfiguring managerial agency in contemporary organisations. While prior research has explored task automation and human–machine collaboration, scholarship has under-examined to the broader structural and epistemic implications of GenAI on authority, coordination, and organisational decision-making. To address this gap, a bibliometric and conceptual analysis was conducted on a corpus of 212 Scopus-indexed publications (2018–2025). Using VOSviewer and Bibliometrix, the study maps performance trends, thematic structures, and the conceptual evolution of the field. The findings reveal a dynamic knowledge domain where technical constructs such as large language models and generative adversarial networks intersect with behavioural and managerial concepts including autonomy, coordination, and decision-making. Thematic mapping and co-word analysis uncover six coherent conceptual clusters, while a Sankey diagram of thematic evolution illustrates the convergence of lexical frameworks and the pivotal role of a small group of authors in structuring the discourse. The article advances a conceptual framework of the algorithmic workplace, characterised by hybrid agency, decentralised decision-making, and the erosion of rigid managerial boundaries. It suggests a transition from command-and-control models to guide-and-collaborate paradigms, with GenAI acting as a socio-technical intermediary in decision-support processes. By offering a systematic and theory-informed mapping of the field, the study contributes to emerging scholarship on AI-enabled organisational transformation and outlines future trajectories for research at the intersection of technology, management, and decision systems
Realist review on just transition towards low emission, climate resilient and more inclusive societies in developing countries
Get PDFJust transition describes the transformation towards greener, more inclusive, and more resilient economies and societies. This realist review provides a rigorous summary of global evidence on interventions targeting outcomes contributing towards a just transition in developing countries, spanning energy, agriculture and food, infrastructure, and ecosystem services. We found common enablers for just transition interventions across all or most sectors, including robust funding and financing mechanisms, strong alignment with needs and priorities, political will and ownership, social dialogue and stakeholder engagement. Hard and soft enablers differed across sectors. We also found common barriers to successful just transition across all sectors, including bureaucratic and legal barriers, exclusion and unequal distribution of benefits
Dialogues with diagonalists: Querdenker and the remaking of left-right politics - Carolin Amlinger and Oliver Nachtwey, Amlinger, Nachtwey, Offended Freedom: The Rise of Libertarian Authoritarianism
No full textCarolin Amlinger and Oliver Nachtwey, Amlinger, Nachtwey, Offended Freedom: The Rise of Libertarian Authoritarianism (London, John Wiley & Sons, 2025, 336 p.
It’s Hamas' fault, you’re an antisemite, and we had no choice: techniques of genocide denial in Gaza
No full textWorking-in-commons in the middle of precarity: the legacy of the urban commons movement of South Korea in the 1970s
No full textThis article explores the endogenous characteristics of commons within the frameworks of precarity and commons through the urban commons movement in 1970s South Korea. During Korea's compressed capitalist transformation, rural migrants became the urban poor, occupying the lowest position in urban labour hierarchies. Through qualitative research methods and historical analysis, we examine the Nangok shantytown in Seoul, demonstrating how commons production is shaped by specific socio-cultural, geographical, and anthropological realities. Despite their marginalised status in a patriarchal society, urban poor housewives emerged as agents of an urban commons movement by developing new urban sensibilities, challenging the capitalist norms of work and home and the conventional community practice. This article reveals how their “working-in-commons” constituted new social relationships, illuminating how people's collective attempts to reorganise livelihoods transcend the work/home or production/reproduction dichotomy. Our analysis enhances the understanding of the commons movement as rooted in everyday urban struggles in rapidly urbanising societies
David Marsden’s comparative and theoretical craft: signposts to a better world of work
No full textDavid Marsden enriched and extended the field of employment relations with his interdisciplinary and comparative practice. This introduction to the special issue honouring his work examines the nature of David's contribution and analyses his influence on employment relations and adjacent fields. The article highlights David's original engagement with the social science questions of his day, and his comparative craft, which entailed sensitivity to difference and a commitment to grounded, institutionally embedded analysis. Previewing the articles that make up this special issue, this introduction shows how David's work provides signposts to a better world of work
Impact of the Family Doctor Contracting System on unmet healthcare needs in Shandong Province, China
No full textUnmet healthcare needs are a significant concern in China, possibly due to the underutilization of primary healthcare services. Patients disproportionately seek tertiary hospital services, reflecting the historical underinvestment in community healthcare and a weak referral system. This misallocation of medical resources burdens the capacity of tertiary hospitals and limits access to necessary healthcare. To address this, the Family Doctor Contracting System (FDCS) was introduced to enhance community health services and reduce unmet healthcare needs. This study empirically analyzes the impact of the FDCS on unmet healthcare needs using data from the 2018 National Health Service Survey in Shandong Province, which included 27 447 individuals aged ≥18 years. An entropy balancing method was employed to address self-selection bias. Logistic regression results show that individuals contracted with family doctors (FDs) are associated with a 1.6% lower probability of experiencing unmet outpatient healthcare needs compared to those who did not participate, although the FDCS had no significant impact on unmet inpatient needs. A potential mechanism is that the FDCS has improved the accessibility of outpatient services. We found that signing up with FDs reduced the likelihood of citing inaccessibility as the main reason for unmet outpatient care needs by 43.7 percentage points, while the impact on unacceptability and unavailability was relatively more minor at 0.5 percentage points. The findings highlight the effectiveness of the FDCS in enhancing the role of primary care and improving access to healthcare. Future policy initiatives should focus on promoting the benefits of the FDCS and encouraging utilization of the FD service while strengthening community-based primary care by providing adequate infrastructure, resources, and training
Lady parts and baby parts: what is a fetus?
No full textA common-sense view of mammalian pregnancy treats the fetus as (a) an organism and (b) co-extensive with the approximately baby-shaped entity developing in the uterus. In this paper, I draw on metabolic accounts of the organism to show that (a) and (b) cannot both be correct: either the fetus is not an organism, or it is considerably more extensive than we tend to think, overlapping considerably—perhaps completely—with its mother. Although other accounts of organisms may have different consequences, I argue that they are all likely to put pressure on the idea that the fetus is a roughly baby-shaped organism. I show that this has consequences for understanding the metaphysics of birth, our nature and persistence, and the ethical dynamics of pregnancy
Strengthening health systems for displaced populations: a systematic review of access to surgical care in low- and middle-income countries
No full textThere are over 122 million forcibly displaced people in the world, many of whom face complex healthcare needs. A global estimate from 2016 suggested that around three million surgical procedures are needed annually to meet the needs of refugees, internally displaced people and asylum seekers. This systematic review aims to synthesise literature on access to surgical care for displaced populations living within camp settings in low- and middle-income countries. Relevant articles were identified by searching three databases between January 2003 and June 2024, with no language restrictions, and findings were synthesised narratively. In total, 21 studies met our inclusion criteria. Findings were synthesised thematically under macro-, meso-, and micro-level factors influencing access to surgical care. Macro-level factors included political support and availability of funding, cost-effectiveness of surgical provision and interactions between displaced and host-country populations. At the meso-level, provision of surgical care within camps was constrained by limited resources. In some settings, these challenges were mitigated through task-shifting and sharing, adoption of tele-medicine and collaboration with local and international partners. Referrals to outside facilities were indispensable to treat surgical patients who could not be managed within camp settings. Micro-level factors included socio-demographic and cultural characteristics of refugees as well as patients’ ability to pay for healthcare services. Our review provides comprehensive insights into the barriers and facilitators that influence access to surgical care within these settings, which is crucial to address the pressing healthcare issues faced by displaced populations