http://repub.eur.nl/res/col/9811/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/38518/ 2012-09-18T00:00:00Z Introduction: The central idea of this paper is claiming business incubators as brokerage environments where entrepreneurs have access to resourceful actors. Brokerage relates to the development of bridging social capital (Knorringa, Staveren 2006) through which new information, ideas and resources circulate. The locus of these exchanges includes the internal environment of business incubators and external institutional settings, represented, for instance, by the local government and regulatory agencies. The main bridging actor between business start-ups and internal and external environments is the business incubator’s manager. These managers can actively foster an environment of exchanges that goes beyond the formalised strategic services of business incubators (i.e, regular consultancies) (Altenburg, Stamm 2004, Tötterman, Sten 2005). Part of these exchanges may become formalised in business partnerships in the medium and long run, building bonding ties between the actors involved. This longer term outcome may impact local development dynamics when businesses establish partnerships that strengthen their individual capabilities, for the deployment of local resources. This process characterizes a scenario of endogenisation, “the progressive development of local capacities and local control over an export base that was previously shaped by external factors and forces” (Helmsing 2010, p. 13). Corradi, A.A. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/38420/ 2012-08-01T00:00:00Z Solidarity economy (SE) initiatives constitute a worldwide phenomenon that is today at the heart of numerous economic and social debates. They are active in very diverse economic sectors, aiming for example to create employment for poor and low-qualified workers. We begin with presenting a Polanyian framework for the analysis of such economic activities, which enables us to develop a plural and integral conception of a productive organisation. We draw on Polanyi's thesis that economy is a political and institutionalised process and present a historic overview of the construction of the SE 'sector' in Brazil. We put forward the hypothesis that the SE today in Brazil represents a social movement. Then, we ask ourselves if the SE movement led to a change in grassroots economic initiatives, such as 'people's cooperatives'. We present the results of exploratory research undertaken on 15 people's cooperatives in the State of Rio de Janeiro and its conclusions. Lemaître, A. Helmsing, A.H.J. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/38398/ 2012-06-27T00:00:00Z Abstract This article tests the Lehman Sisters Hypothesis in two complementary, although incomplete ways. It reviews the diverse empirical literature in behavioral, experimental, and neuroeconomics as well as related fields of behavioral research. And it presents the findings from an explorative survey among Dutch financial professionals. The conclusion is that both methods find support for the Lehman Sisters Hypothesis. It shows that gender stereotypes are still influential, constraining women to achieve top positions in banking. At the same time, the analysis indicates that women perform better than men in finance and that female leaders have more balanced management skills than men and are rated as better leaders. This would plea for having more rather than less women at the top of the financial sector. Staveren, I.P. van http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/38429/ 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z Setting Setting Setting Setting thethethe scene scene How can the current wave of social protests be understood? Well, one thing that the Arab Spring, the London riots, the Chilean student revolt and the Occupy movement worldwide have in common is that they are not run by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or ‘aided’ civil society groups dedicated to justice for people and planet. Their driving force seems to originate from people’s energy and imagination of a different future that is not determined by ‘outsiders’. In spontaneous protest, people in all walks of life are acting as political players to shape the world they share with others. While results obviously take time to unfold, this way of changing society is very visible, exciting and risky. Less noticeable, but more pervasive, are the ways in which day in day out people are getting together to creatively improve the conditions in which they live, sometimes in wider collaboration, sometimes in conflict. This vital, quiet, slow and dense fabric of social and political life is often overlooked. Instead, attention is focused on social arrangements that can be labelled, registered, counted and ‘governed’ and on citizen action which attracts (brief) media attention.... Biekart, K. Fowler, A.F. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/38412/ 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z This background paper shows trends on economic inequalities, socio-economic exclusion and insecurity, and a civic dimension of democratization. Whereas most of these variables can be considered as measures of democratic performance, the last mentioned may be more suitably seen as a civic measure of legitimization of democratization. The inequalities concern income and other labour market inequality trends. The social measures, of exclusion and insecurity, assess the extent to which people are being treated unequally, their social exclusion and the extent of insecurity they experience. Finally, the data and trends in these performance dimensions of democratization are complemented with data on a legitimization dimension of democratization, namely how people respond to these threats to democracy and development through various forms of civic action. Staveren, I.P. van Hoeven, R.E. van der http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/39168/ 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Helmsing, A.H.J. Ellinger da Fonseca, P.