Boris Braun

Conventions in Cross-Border Trade Coordination: The Case of Organic Food Imports to Germany and Australia

Monitoring and tracing product and process qualities along global supply chains have become increasingly challenging tasks for companies at the downstream end of the chain. High levels of uncertainty in trade coordination arise among importing companies in the face of these developments. The conceptual aim of this paper is to show, by the example of organic food imports to Germany and Australia, how convention theory can contribute to the analysis of trade coordination in global value chains. Our empirical results affirm that industrial conventions such as standards and third-party certification have gained increasing significance over the past two decades. Simultaneously, however, we argue that industrial conventions are not enough to overcome uncertainties in trade. They do not necessarily lead to reduced differences in perceptions of product quality between suppliers and importers. Less tangible factors such as trust established through relationship management and reputation are likewise significant. Furthermore, not only companies with a certain ideological tradition, but also individual people with altruistic motives within other types of firms, can determine how ‘dedicated’ a firm is in pushing trade coordination according to civic and domestic conventions. Market conventions (ie, the importance of price and competitiveness) are stressed more by Australian firms reflecting the countrys liberal market economy and low state subsidies especially in the area of agriculture. Finally, compromises between conventions are sometimes necessary to end a situation of conflict between buyer and supplier.

Interactive Knowledge Generation in Urban Green Building Transitions

Knowledge coproduction between practitioners and scientists offers promising opportunities for the emerging research field of the geography of sustainability transitions. Drawing on experiences from an international research project on urban green building transitions, this article explores the potentials and challenges of interactive and collaborative knowledge generation methods in understanding sustainability transitions. Our results show that ongoing engagement with local experts and practitioners through interactive World Café workshops and follow-up exchanges allows for a better understanding of the research context and knowledge exchange to all participants involved in the research process.

Social Business and Poverty Alleviation: Lessons from Grameen Danone and Grameen Veolia

Since Muhammad Yunus first began launching joint ventures with multinational corporations such as Group Danone (2006) and Veolia Water (2008) in Bangladesh, his social business concept has received international attention. With reference to empirical findings from a comprehensive field study in rural Bangladesh, this paper suggests that Yunus’ early social business joint ventures do contribute to poverty reduction in terms of the sustainable livelihoods approach. Both Grameen Danone Foods and Grameen Veolia Water Ltd. provide low-income consumers with access to products for their basic needs, while at the same time creating new sources of social and economic capital. However, considering the multidimensional character of poverty, the findings are not suggestive of a panacea. Given the fact that the conscious abdication of personal financial gain by those who invest in a social business company is the defining attribute in Yunus’ concept, the authors conclude that his idea is primarily a strong plea for social entrepreneurship. It is a strong call for the efficient use of philanthropic resources in contrast with a more conventional charity approach.

Jenseits der Speckgürtel: Wanderungsabsichten von Schulabsolventen und der demographische Wandel im ländlichen Raum

KurzfassungDie Abwanderung junger Erwachsener trifft ländliche Räume besonderes dann, wenn sie nicht durch Zuwanderung in Form von Suburbanisierung oder Ähnlichem kompensiert werden kann. Zugleich ist diese Altersgruppe von großer Bedeutung für die zukünftige Entwicklung, da das demographische, ökonomische und gesellschaftliche Prosperieren besonders von den heute jungen Bewohnern abhängt. Zugleich allerdings sind Berufseinsteiger auf dem heutigen dynamischen Arbeitsmarkt zu verstärkter Mobilität gezwungen. Der Beitrag analysiert die Motivationen von Schulabsolventen in Bezug auf ihre Wanderungsabsichten. Darauf aufbauend wird der Frage nachgegangen, welche politischen Einflussmöglichkeiten in den Regionen „jenseits der Speckgürtel” angemessen sind. Ausgehend von den lokalen Besonderheiten sind in jedem Fall Maßnahmen zu kombinieren, die Familienpolitik, Regionalmarketing und (Aus-)Bildungspolitik betreffen. Die empirischen Befunde basieren auf einer Fallstudie im nordbayerischen Landkreis Haßberge.AbstractThe population of many regions in rural areas declines as mainly young adults leave. Simultaneously, only few people move into these areas if processes like suburbanisation do not play a substantial role. In this situation, young adults must be regarded as a crucial group for the future of any region. Demographic, economic, and societal prosperity depends on them to a large extent. At the same time, school graduates are increasingly forced to be more and more mobile by changing and more volatile labour markets. The article focuses on the motivations of graduates while making their decisions to leave their home district or to stay. Based on this analysis, it asks which political instruments are appropriate in these regions beyond ‘commuter-belts’. Considering the local context, the authorities have to combine policies and instruments including family policy, regional marketing and educational aspects. The empirical findings are based on a case study in the Haßberge district in Northern Bavaria.

Green Building as Urban Climate Change Strategy

The building sector has been identified as one of the largest contributors to human-related greenhouse gas emissions but also as one holding great potential to lower its emissions. Due to the concentration of built structures in urban areas, green building has become a major part of urban climate change strategies, but approaches differ considerably. This book discusses local pathways to green building in four selected city regions: Freiburg in Germany, Vancouver in Canada, Brisbane in Australia and Luxembourg City in Luxembourg. The four case studies illustrate both similarities and differences through which green building is realised. The work presented identifies different forms of urban green building that range from experimental building designs and technologies and retrofitted building stock to newly designed neighbourhoods and from policies and regulatory tools to new institutional arrangements and actors. It captures not only endeavours to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and their associated uses but also considers the wider context and social dimensions of sustainability such as ideas of liveability and affordability. It considers the conditions that foster and promote green building but also factors that inhibit its realisation and critically examines the success and changes over time within the four case studies in order to contribute to ongoing debates around urban sustainability transitions.