Books published by Springer International Publishing AG

This edited volume offers a critical, thorough, and interdisciplinary examination of arguments for eliminating the minimum democratic voting age. As children and youth increasingly assert their political voices on issues such as climate change, gun legislation, Black Lives Matter, and education reform, calls for youth enfranchisement merit further academic conversation. Leading scholars in childhood studies, political science, philosophy, history, law, medicine, and economics come together in this collection to explore the diverse assumptions behind excluding children from voting rights and why these are open to question. While arriving at different and sometimes competing conclusions, each chapter deconstructs the idea of voting as necessarily tied to age while reconstructing a more democratic imagination able to enfranchise the third of humanity made up by children and youth. Thus, this book defines and establishes a new field of academic study and public debate around children'ssuffrage. Chapter ¿The Reform that never happened: a history of children's suffrage restrictions¿ is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

In this open access book, Angela K. Martin thoroughly addresses what human and animal vulnerability are, how and why they matter from a moral point of view, and how they compare to each other. By first defining universal and situational human vulnerability, Martin lays the groundwork for investigating whether sentient nonhuman animals can also qualify as vulnerable beings. She then takes a closer look at three different contexts of animal vulnerability: animals used as a source of food, animals used in research, and the fate of wild animals.

This collection of essays offers new perspectives from Japan on Nobel Prize¿winning author Kazuo Ishiguro. It analyses the Japanese-born British author from the vantage point of his birthplace, showing how Ishiguro remains greatly indebted to Japanese culture and sensibilities. The influence of Japanese literature and film is evident in Ishigurös early novels as he deals with the problem of the atomic bomb and Japan¿s war responsibility, yet his later works also engage with folk tales and the modern popular culture of Japan. The chapters consider a range of Japanese influences on Ishiguro and adaptations of Ishigurös work, including literary, cinematic and animated representations. The book makes use of newly archived drafts of Ishigurös manuscripts at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas to explore the origins of his oeuvre. It also offers sharp, new examinations of Ishigurös work in relation to memory studies, especially in relation to Japan. ¿

This book is a major stocktaking of law and economics in the context of developing and emerging economies, and in the light of the dramatic changes in the global economy that we have witnessed in recent years. The rise of artificial intelligence, digital technology, and mega platforms that collect data and facilitate trade is changing the landscape of economics. Rapid globalization has created new challenges for law and regulation, since increasingly contentious cases arise which span multiple countries and several legal jurisdictions. All these changes are giving rise to new problems in developing countries where many people lead precarious lives anyway, healthcare is minimal, and corruption widespread. Alongside these global developments, the discipline of law and economics is also undergoing profound changes, making us re-think some of the founding assumptions of the subject.

This first-of-its-kind incisive and interdisciplinary volume spears through law and governance implications in relation to maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS). The book focuses on a wide array of timely, topical and thorny issues under eight distinct parts: setting the scene; naval warfare and security; safety, seaworthiness and techno-regulatory assessments; global environmental change; autonomous passenger transportation; liability and insurance; selected national and regional developments; and tying the threads. Thus, the main themes will stress on topics including evolution, environment, safety and security, society, insurance, liability, human element, design solutions and procedures, and selected national case studies. At the outset, the book commences with an insight into the role of innovation-diplomacy as the driving force that could expedite the transition from autonomation to autonomy, and a commentary from the Chair of IMO¿s MASS. After navigating through the complex law and governance landscape, the book concludes with a chapter that captures the essence of the paradigm shift and ties all critical findings for further consideration.Chapter 11 and Chapter 18 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Much philosophical work on pop culture apologises for its use; using popular culture is a necessary evil, something merely useful for reaching the masses with important philosophical arguments. But works of pop culture are important in their own right--they shape worldviews, inspire ideas, change minds. We wouldn't baulk at a book dedicated to examining the philosophy of The Great Gatsby or 1984--why aren't Star Trek and Superman fair game as well? After all, when produced, the former were considered pop culture just as much as the latter. This will be the first major reference work to right that wrong, gathering together entries on film, television, games, graphic novels and comedy, and officially recognizing the importance of the field. It will be the go-to resource for students and researchers in philosophy, culture, media and communications, English and history and will act as a springboard to introduce the reader to the other key literature inthe field.

Zimbabwe has invested in women¿s emancipation and leadership while articulating a strong Pan-Africanist ideology, providing a valuable entry point into understanding the dynamics relating to women¿s leadership in Africa. It is also characterised by radical religious pluralism, thereby facilitating an appreciation of the impact of religion on women¿s leadership in Africa more generally.This volume reflects on the role of Zimbabwean women in religio-cultural leadership. It opens with an expansive literature review on leadership, with a specific focus on African women¿s leadership in the context of global studies on leadership. The chapters then discuss the unique Zimbabwean women¿s leadership roles in ecological conservation. Topics include disaster management, the SDGs, and ecological stewardship.The book closes with examining women¿s leadership among adherents of African Indigenous Spirituality, such as among the Shona and Ndau ethnic groups. It will appeal to scholars across management, women¿s studies, religion, and cultural studies contemplating on African women¿s leadership in religion as well as other areas of life.

This edited collection presents an economic history of Catalonia and its economic crises, from Roman times to the political difficulties of the present day. It considers how the strong identity of the Catalan people has been reinforced in critical episodes such as the commercial revolution of the Late Medieval Age, the 1640 rebellion, the Succession War of 1705-1714, the industrial revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the strong repression during early Francoism. The book also explores how historical parallels from Cataloniäs past might shed light on the long-term consequences of the Great Recession of 2007-9 and recovery in the EU, showing how the typical Mediterranean approach of adjusting to crises by depreciating currencies and expanding public deficits has been less straightforward during the most recent financial crisis. A particularly deep slump has contributed to fostering the claim for independence of Catalonia in recent times, echoing larger dissatisfaction with EU monetary policy. With a comprehensive overview of major events in Catalonian economic history and their broader implications to European political economy and development, this book will be of interest to students and academics in economic history, social history, and monetary economics.

Cruelty is such a ubiquitous and at the same time disturbing phenomenon that we take for granted that we understand what it is, and how it impacts the ways in which we think about our humanity as a moral condition¿how we understand our moral significance. Cruelty: A Book About Us offers an accessible interrogation of cruelty and humanity, and, most critically, it provides a groundwork for us to raise questions collectively; it is an invitation for us all to join in the dialogue. Through academic studies, literary works, and¿ personal stories and observations, this book provokes deeper insights into why cruel acts trouble our usual ways of articulating and addressing wrongness. Mining interdisciplinary sources, it excavates what we may not know we don't know and guides us in conversations about this profoundly evocative and often uneasy subject.

This book examines the development of social support systems in the Modern age in the rural areas of the city-states of Northern Italy. This investigation achieves two main purposes: first, it allows researchers to understand the role occupied concretely by welfare and micro-credit activities in the political and socio-economic panorama of rural Northern Italy; secondly, it verifies to what extent the formation of a more or less structured support system influenced the establishment of local identity and the rooting of individuals. The book brings together perspectives from different fields of research ranging from economic and political history to the study of the history of ecclesiastical institutions, as well as integrating recent research on the anthropological value of welfare actions and the use of multiple historical sources. It considers how the retreat of the welfare activity of the State, associated with a depopulation of the rural areas of the peninsula and a steady increase of poverty into social fringes that were previously not affected by economic problems, pushes us to investigate more carefully the dynamics that in the Ancien Régime gave shape to the support activities against indigence and poverty. This book will be of interest to academics and students working in economic history and social history.

This open access book features contributions from a multidisciplinary team of leading and emerging scholars focused on democratization of risk assessment, management, and communication. The volume identifies and sheds light on key risk governance dilemmas related to public trust, risk perception and public participation. The first part of the book articulates the relationship among science, expertise, deliberation and public values, featuring an in-depth analysis of the concept of ¿motivated reasoning,¿ and the role of trust, values and worldviews in understanding and addressing contemporary controversies over risk decision-making. The volume¿s second part features eight case studies from three policy fields ¿ energy, genomics, and public health ¿ and a special section dedicated to vaccine decision-making for Covid-19. Chapters analyze the level, nature and mechanisms of public involvement in risk decision-making, assessing its contribution to the effectiveness and legitimacy of decisions. The case studies focus predominantly on Canada, but they draw on global scholarship and are of direct relevance for scholars and practitioners of risk governance in any country.

This open access book considers the concept of the hinterland as a crucial tool for understanding the global and planetary present as a time defined by the lasting legacies of colonialism, increasing labor precarity under late capitalist regimes, and looming climate disasters. Traditionally seen to serve a (colonial) port or market town, the hinterland here becomes a lens to attend to the times and spaces shaped and experienced across the received categories of the urban, rural, wilderness or nature. In straddling these categories, the concept of the hinterland foregrounds the human and more-than-human lively processes and forms of care that go on even in sites defined by capitalist extraction and political abandonment. Bringing together scholars from the humanities and social sciences, the book rethinks hinterland materialities, affectivities, and ecologies across places and cultural imaginations, Global North and South, urban and rural, and land and water.

This open access book considers the concept of the hinterland as a crucial tool for understanding the global and planetary present as a time defined by the lasting legacies of colonialism, increasing labor precarity under late capitalist regimes, and looming climate disasters. Traditionally seen to serve a (colonial) port or market town, the hinterland here becomes a lens to attend to the times and spaces shaped and experienced across the received categories of the urban, rural, wilderness or nature. In straddling these categories, the concept of the hinterland foregrounds the human and more-than-human lively processes and forms of care that go on even in sites defined by capitalist extraction and political abandonment. Bringing together scholars from the humanities and social sciences, the book rethinks hinterland materialities, affectivities, and ecologies across places and cultural imaginations, Global North and South, urban and rural, and land and water.

Healthcare systems around the world are struggling under intense pressure. Ageing populations, declining workforce, funding restraints and spending cuts have combined to produce a challenging environment to deliver a service that is fundamental to the lives of many. This book defines sustainable healthcare as an integrated system, where stakeholders work together to deliver high quality, safe patient care at the lowest possible cost and with a focus on outcomes that patients value. Using this definition as a guide, this book brings together an extensive body of knowledge from an elite group of academics to consider how we can shape healthcare service delivery in a way that delivers sustainable value to society as a whole.This edited collection will be of interest to academics working in healthcare management, healthcare innovation, the role of technology in healthcare, sustainable healthcare management, and healthcare in public policy. It will also be vital reading for managers and professionals working in health and social care that are interested in research -based solutions to the challenges they face.

At a time of widespread disillusion, citizens keep telling us how ¿frustrated¿ they feel with their democracies. However, whilst scholars and commentators alike have heard that complain millions of times, we may not have taken it as seriously as we should. The author takes the concept of democratic frustration literally and puts it under an unprecedented analytical and empirical microscope. She applies insights from the psychology and political science literatures and uses a mixture of panel studies, surveys, interviews, and experiments to understand its sources, nature, dimensions, and consequences. The book sheds unprecedented light on pathologies of democratic frustration in the US, UK, Australia, and South Africa with a double focus on the general population, and on young people. Doing so, it reveals new thought-provoking insights on the true nature of contemporary democratic crises, and not least on how citizens¿ actual desire for democracy uniquely shapes their dissatisfaction.

This contributed volume provides theoretical and empirical insights into a variety of contemporary issues about inequality, geography, and global value chains in today¿s world, where global disruptions are prevalent, globalization is being transformed, and multinational enterprises (MNEs) are under pressure to promote sustainability. Many challenges and tensions created by growing inequality within and between countries, cities, and individuals, coupled with recent disruptions in the global economy, beg important questions regarding the role of MNEs. A valuable resource for scholars and students in international business, the book provides a richer understanding of how MNE activities are being affected by the complex dynamics of the modern global business environment and discusses what strategies they need to implement in order to adapt to a changing world, while accounting for the interests of a broader range of stakeholders.

The book initiates a relational turn in policy making and governance by developing further relational political analysis and by taking relational thinking to bear on not just analytic/descriptive issues, but also to normative/prescriptive issues. The need for such a turn, this book argues, comes from the ever-increasing relevance of addressing the so-called wicked problems of governance like climate change, COVID-19 kinds of pandemics, global economic recessions and refugee crises. The book argues for a need to rethink governance as a process from the relational point of view to spur its potential for addressing these problems. What needs to be rethought is not so much the specific tools or resources of governance, but the very issue of whether governance should be seen in terms of tools and resources in the first place. This book contributes to this discussion by consolidating the relational approaches to governance thus far and by taking them to a next ¿ normative/prescriptive ¿ level.

This book is designed to help instructors effectively incorporate images and other aspects of material culture into their pedagogy in an engaging and relatable manner. The author draws on her personal experiences as an art historian of ancient art who instructs a wide variety of undergraduates. In addition to helping students to look and think critically, the book explores how the material culture of the past can be a potent tool in motivating student involvement with course content and sharpening skills vital for navigating contemporary culture.

This book provides the first comprehensive treatment of Albert the Great¿s (c. 1193¿1280) notion of virtus formativa, a shaping force responsible for crucial dynamics in the formation of living beings. Crossing the boundaries between theology and philosophy, the notion of virtus formativa, or formative power, was central in explaining genetic inheritance and the configuration of the embryo. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this book reconstructs how Albert the Great, motivated by theological open issues, reorganised the natural-philosophical and medical theories on embryonic development, creatively drawing upon Greek, Patristic, and Arabic sources. A valuable contribution to research, this book offers essential insights for those studying the history of embryology, medicine, and science in the medieval and renaissance periods.

Over time, philosophers and historians of science have introduced different notions of 'ways of thinking'. This book presents, compares, and contrasts these different notions. It focuses primarily on Ian Hacking's idea of 'style of reasoning' in order to assess and develop it into a more systematic theory of scientific thought, arguing that Hacking's theory implies epistemic relativism. Luca Sciortino also discusses the implications of Hacking's ideas for the study of the problem of contingency and inevitability in the development of scientific knowledge

The monetary system is at a turning point. The question is no longer if, but how soon countries will roll out a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). This book discusses the recomposition of the money supply from the present bank money regime to a monetary system determined by CBDC. As the book sets out, the future of money is going to be digital and sovereign. Nonetheless, the relationship between the various types of money is competitive rather than being the peaceful coexistence that was officially envisaged. CBDC competes with the incumbent bank money as well as with private cryptocurrencies that are challenging both central-bank money as well as bank money. For technological and political reasons, bank money will not be able to emulate the superior properties of sovereign digital tokens. Uncovered and unwarranted cryptocurrencies, too, will not stand the competition in the long run. The shifts in the monetary system are changing the role of central banks in the interplay of monetary, fiscal and private-creditary functions and open up improved options for monetary policy. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers, and policymakers in monetary and financial economics, and digital currencies.

This book delivers philosophy¿s first sustained examination of handedness: being left-handed, right-handed, etc. It engages literature from phenomenology and continental philosophy, analytic philosophy, laterality studies, cognitive science and psychology, gender studies and feminist philosophy, sociology, political science, and more to provide a systematic accounting of the nature of handedness, its basis in lived experience, its effects on bodily performance, its role in varieties of inequality, and its part in oppression and liberation.As a radical asymmetry in the body, handedness plays a key role in human flourishing. It informs both personal bodily movement and social life, from handshakes and high fives to high tech tools made for one hand or the other. Moreover, with left-handers making up just 10% of the population, handedness presents a significant inequality in lived experience. To live and live well, we must understand handedness.

This book explains that diffusion, osmosis, dissolution, evaporation, and heat loss all preferentially affect small bodies due to their high surface/volume ratios. Because surface area increases as the square of length, but volume (and mass) increase as the cube, large objects have low surface/volume ratios and small objects have high surface/volume ratios. This simple physical constraint governs much of the physical world. It accounts for why the Earth has active volcanoes, but the Moon does not, why the human brain has numerous folds, why deciduous trees lose their leaves every Fall, and why nanoparticles of gold melt at surprisingly low temperatures. It is a phenomenon well known to every scientist, but this book is the first comprehensive treatment of this effect.

This book provides a critical account of federal asymmetry in India - its origins, context, forms and functioning - by taking into account the institutional effectiveness of asymmetric institutions in the regions for identity fulfillment, development and governance. It argues that while some asymmetry, de jure/ or de facto, is part of all federations for meeting some special circumstances, in India, which has followed a different path of federation building, asymmetric institutional solutions especially in the border areas have played a crucially important role in accommodating ethno-cultural diversity, ensuring law and order, a level of development and governance in a process that has turned the ¿rebels into stakeholders¿. Indiäs federal asymmetric designs and their working has been a key to holding the peripheries within the Union of India. The book utilizes both archival research and empirical survey data, as well as elite interviews.

Amie L. Thomasson, the Daniel P. Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at Dartmouth College, has gained international recognition as a leading figure within various areas of philosophy. She has recently been celebrated as one of the most influential living philosophers for her significant contributions to metaphysics, ontology, phenomenology, and aesthetics. By engaging critically with her approach to metaphysics, modality, conceptual analysis, and the methodological issues concerning ontological questions about ordinary objects, social entities, and fictional characters, as well as including a chapter from Thomasson herself where she makes explicit the internal connections which run through her body of work, this volume delivers the first thorough discussion of Thomasson¿s philosophy.