Ashgate Publishing Company

The 'Arab spring', the Spanish 'Indignados', the Greek 'Aganaktismenoi' and the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement all share a number of distinctive traits. They made extensive use of social networking and were committed to the direct democratic participation of all as they co-ordinated and conducted their actions. Leaderless and self-organised, they...

Reflecting on two decades of 'competitiveness-oriented' urban policies in Europe this book investigates the current challenges cities face to sustain their economic position and how this can be balanced with social progress and environmental improvements. Complementing previous surveys on local and urban development and competitiveness-based...

When Innovation is considered one of the key drivers of corporate success, why do organisations struggle to implement it? Research suggests that innovations fail due to a lack of acceptance by employees; therefore an understanding of potential adopters and the factors influencing their decisions is essential. Despite much research on adoption of...

Whilst maritime studies tend to reflect the dominance of large navies, history shows how relatively small naval forces can have a disproportionately large impact on global events. From Confederate commerce raiders in the nineteenth century, to Somali pirates today, even the most minor of maritime forces can become a key player on a global stage....

The European Union is facing a profound crisis and is confronted with multiple challenges. Over the last two decades, it has experienced a series of dramatic changes to its powers, its institutional design, its constitutional framework and its borders. At the same time, the uneasy relationship between European citizens and elites has complicated...

In recent years, there has been a new understanding of how cities evolve and function, which reflects the emergent paradigm of complexity. The crux of this view is that cities are created by differentiated actors involved in individual, small-scale projects interacting in a complex way in the urban development process. This 'bottom up' approach to...