The fragmented and disrupted electricity infrastructures of Benin restrict service provision in health centers and are insofar co-responsible for healthcare shortcomings. Off-grid PV systems are regarded as state-of-the-art technology to complement conventional structures of electricity provision and hence ‘develop’ the apparent insufficiencies. This thesis aims to go beyond these ostensible claims and explore the complexities and contradictions that arise from the integration of such technologies in public institutions. To achieve this distinct perception, the systems were conceptualized as fluid actors whose impacts in the dimensions of ‘nation building’, ‘community constitution’, and ‘provision of clean electricity’ were examined and compared to other fluid actors. Data was collected through qualitative interviews with members of (inter-) national organizations, technicians, and healthcare professionals. The analysis demonstrates that off-grid PV systems play a crucial role in the hybridization of electricity provision as they appear in differing quantities, sizes, and scopes in most of the visited health centers. Nevertheless, it was found that this integration does not inherently facilitate stable nation-building processes, nor does it equate to the satisfaction of health professionals. Consequently, the thesis concludes in defining interdependent identities of off-grid PV systems as envisioned, visible, and invisible actor that allow to portray the ambivalent characteristics of the technology.

In light of the climate crisis, the discovery of Europe’s largest deposit of rare earth elements, known as Per Geijer and located in Kiruna, Northern Sweden, has been celebrated as a key to the EU’s green transition. At the same time, however, the planned extraction risks making traditional reindeer herding in the area impossible, thereby jeopardizing Sami culture, which is deeply rooted in the land and reindeer herding. Drawing on literature and fieldwork, this study explores how the mining project would affect local Sami reindeer herders’ experiences of environmental justice, focusing on the three dimensions of distribution, recognition and participation. The analysis combines environmental justice theory with a capabilities approach to assess not only the social, economic and cultural impacts but also the effects on reindeer herders’ well being and autonomy. This study reveals that the state positions the erosion of Sami culture and livelihood as a necessary cost for the greater good. While Sami reindeer herders suffer environmental, economic, social and cultural consequences, they are largely excluded from profits and decision-making. In light of the green transition and rising mineral demands, this thesis adds to the discussion on the impacts of extraction on Indigenous groups and highlights the need for a just transition that does not reproduce colonial injustices.

What does justice imply – and for whom? This question is relevant with regard to various topics and needs to be considered, for example in the context of the environment. The concept of environmental justice (EJ) provides an approach to answering this question. In the context of this thesis, EJ is therefore applied to a specific case, the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. The focus on the expansion of this fossil fuel infrastructure is a fairly new phenomenon in Germany, as is the protest against it. Similarly new is the qualitative, scientific examination of local struggles in the German research landscape with regard to LNG. In order to expand this state of research and analyze the new energy policy developments and their local implications, the following paper asks to what extent the three dimensions of EJ - distributive, recognition and procedural justice - are reflected in the motives and arguments of the opponents of the LNG terminal off Rügen. Through interviews with opponents of the LNG terminal, the qualitative research design enabled a detailed examination of the predominant motives of EJ in the context of the construction of fossil infrastructure. Local and external groups, as well as non-human entities, are mentioned in the motives for distributional injustices. In addition, complex procedural injustices in the context of the approval process or the dialogue formats between politics and the population were addressed. There was some recognition of certain local groups, but other non-local groups were given less consideration, similar to various local demands or scientific findings.

Die Arbeit entwickelt eine Architektur für einen EHDS-konformen Datenraum, der sektorübergreifende Forschungsdatenkooperationen im Gesundheitswesen unterstützt. Ausgangspunkt ist die Analyse rechtlicher, organisatorischer und technischer Anforderungen an Datennutzung und -austausch, die im Kontext fragmentierter IT-Landschaften, heterogener Prozesse und datenschutzrechtlicher Unsicherheiten besondere Bedeutung haben. Methodisch folgt die Arbeit dem Ansatz des Action Design Research und verbindet theoretische Meta- Anforderungen mit empirischen Erkenntnissen aus Interviews und Workshops im Projekt CaringS. Ergebnis ist ein Wegweiser, der Konsortien in fünf Phasen von der gemeinsamen Vision über die Identifikation relevanter Datenquellen und Fragen der Data-Governance bis zur technischen Architektur und langfristigen Nutzung begleitet. Wissenschaftlich leistet die Arbeit einen Beitrag zur Entwicklung von Gestaltungsprinzipien für Datenräume, die Zielkonflikte zwischen Generalisierbarkeit und Praxistauglichkeit sichtbar machen. Praktisch stellt sie ein anwendbares Instrument bereit, das EHDS-Vorgaben in konkrete Arbeitsschritte übersetzt und so Forschung und Versorgung verbindet.

La obra analiza los enlaces históricos que permitieron a la población arabófona de México exhibir vínculos transregionales con el llamado “Medio Oriente” entre el ocaso del Imperio Otomano y el inicio del sistema de mandato europeo en Máshrek. Se argumenta que su sentido de pertenencia debe ser interpretado como un vínculo material y espiritual con su lugar de origen capaz de posicionar su presencia transnacional entre un pasado nostálgico y un proyecto de cohesión social hacia el futuro.

This paper investigates how the ECB’s monetary policy affects consumers’ perceptions about the credibility of the inflation target. Monetary policy is assessed by the gap between the actual policy rate and a Taylor rate to approximate the interest rate expected by the public. Drawing on survey data for German consumers from 2019 to 2024, we find that the ECB’s interest rate policy contributes significantly to the credibility of the inflation target. In particular, the massive dent in inflation target credibility observed from 2021 to the end of 2023 could have been ameliorated by an earlier and more decisive tightening of monetary policy. This suggests that simple outcome-based Taylor rules may deserve more attention in the communication of the ECB’s monetary policy strategy.

En un mundo en el que convergen tensiones geopolíticas, diversidad cultural y transformación digital, la diplomacia adquiere una nueva dimensión: la diplomacia pública. Esta obra ilumina cómo Iberoamérica, con sus ricas tradiciones, múltiples voces y enfoques innovadores, desarrolla un lenguaje propio de entendimiento internacional. Muestra que no solo los gobiernos, sino también las sociedades, universidades, artistas y medios de comunicación son actores de esta nueva diplomacia. Las contribuciones ofrecen una profunda mirada a los mecanismos, oportunidades y desafíos de una política exterior que va más allá de los canales clásicos. Evidencian cómo se puede generar confianza, promover el diálogo y construir puentes culturales, no solo entre Estados, sino también entre personas. Iberoamérica se revela así no como un receptor pasivo de corrientes globales, sino como un actor activo que une tradición e innovación. El libro está dirigido a investigadores, estudiantes, responsables políticos y a todos aquellos que deseen comprender cómo las narrativas, la cultura y la comunicación configuran el orden internacional. Es, al mismo tiempo, instrumento de análisis y fuente de inspiración para una política exterior del siglo XXI. Quien quiera comprender el futuro diplomático de Iberoamérica encontrará aquí análisis sólidos, estudios de caso atractivos y un panorama de perspectivas que trasciende los límites regionales. Esta obra invita a entender la diplomacia pública no solo como herramienta política, sino como un encuentro humano y cultural, y por ello, como clave para una convivencia más pacífica.

La historia de América es mucho más que un relato nacional: forma parte de una red densa de relaciones globales, de flujos de ideas y de conflictos. Este libro abre nuevas perspectivas sobre el pasado del continente americano al situar en el centro las interacciones entre las Américas, así como sus múltiples conexiones con Europa, África y Asia. Los autores muestran de manera convincente cómo la migración, el comercio, la diplomacia, los contactos culturales y las guerras han marcado a las sociedades americanas durante siglos. No se trata solo de los grandes acontecimientos políticos, sino también de los vínculos cotidianos, a menudo invisibles, que influyeron en la vida de millones de personas. La historia de América aparece así no como una sucesión aislada de desarrollos nacionales, sino como parte de una dinámica historia mundial. Una atención especial recae en las interacciones entre las distintas regiones del continente. ¿Cómo repercutieron revoluciones, crisis económicas o movimientos culturales en los países vecinos, y qué resonancias tuvieron en el escenario global? Los autores entrelazan estas preguntas en un amplio panorama que revela la complejidad de la experiencia americana. La obra está dirigida a quienes se interesan por la historia, la política y la cultura de América, y ofrece un acceso riguroso y al mismo tiempo claro. Es un recurso valioso tanto para la enseñanza universitaria como para un público más amplio que desee redescubrir el pasado americano: no como un relato cerrado, sino como una historia viva, abierta e internacionalmente conectada. Un libro que amplía horizontes y demuestra que la historia de América solo puede comprenderse en diálogo con el mundo.

Synopsis:

This volume contains a selection of papers that were originally presented at a workshop "Cross-disciplinary approaches to Information Structure in African languages", held in Porto-Novo, Benin in 2022. Eight papers explore information structure in Niger-Congo languages from different linguistic angles: phonetics, phonology, syntax and semantics. The papers address a range of topics in different Niger- Congo languages from both junior and senior scholars in the field of linguistics, reflecting both the diversity of languages and scholarship in African linguistics.

Synopsis

Locative and existential predications are fundamental linguistic constructions that exhibit significant formal overlap while serving distinct communicative functions. Locative clauses typically anchor a definite referent to a spatial context, whereas existential clauses introduce new, often indefinite, referents into discourse. Despite their central role in syntactic and typological research, the cross-linguistic diversity of these predications remains largely underexplored. This collective volume originates from workshops held in 2023 at the Annual SLE Meeting in Athens and the International Conference on Historical Linguistics in Heidelberg. It brings together in-depth analyses of locative and existential predications across a wide range of languages, drawing on diverse methodological and theoretical approaches. Rather than imposing a single framework, the volume deliberately allows for variation in how these constructions are defined and analyzed, reflecting the complexity and diversity of linguistic structures. A key theme of the book is the relationship between locative, existential, and possessive predication. Many of the included studies highlight the formal and functional connections between these domains, illustrating how different languages encode possession through structures that overlap with locative and existential constructions. The volume also challenges conventional assumptions about structural distinctions between these predications, showing that in many languages, such boundaries are blurred or even nonexistent. The introductory chapter reviews key findings from prior research and offers a refined typology of locative and existential predications. It also highlights the major insights from the remaining chapters, each of which provides a detailed empirical analysis of these constructions in one or several underdescribed languages. The contributions address (i) the structural and functional properties of locative and existential clauses, (ii) criteria for distinguishing these constructions in languages where formal differentiation is minimal, (iii) their frequency and usage in natural discourse, and (iv) grammaticalization pathways that link locative, existential, and possessive predication. By integrating data from a broad range of languages and perspectives, this volume advances our understanding of locative and existential predication and offers a foundation for future research in typology, syntax, and historical linguistics.

Synopsis

Humans are confronted everyday with an influx of sounds coming from several sources. In a given auditory environment, some of the sound events might be unexpected, rare, or new. Our cognitive system has the ability to detect such sounds, and consequently activate an attention orienting response.

This book provides an in-depth investigation of the interplay between prosody and attention orienting during online speech processing by using two complementary experimental methods, electrophysiology and pupillometry. In particular, it examines the cognitive and functional relevance of intonation for the orienting response in speech, emphasising the crucial role of rising contours. More specifically, it investigates the influence of prosodic structure, showing that rising tones at constituent edges attract attention similarly to accentual rising tones, challenging important tenets of prosodic theory and typology.

The book shows that contextual expectations shape the orienting response, extending insights beyond purely acoustic cues to pragmatically meaningful linguistic signals. Finally, much like cues from auditory cognition, rising tones activate both involuntary and voluntary attentional mechanisms – the former driven by signal-based acoustic cues, while the latter arise from contextual influences guiding voluntary attention orienting.

Taken together, the findings in this book enhance our understanding of the role of intonation in attention orienting, emphasising the significance of rising tones. The book establishes key connections to general cognition and individual variability while exploring potential extensions for an architecture of attention orienting in spoken language.

Synopsis:

With the exception of English and its varieties, all Present-Day Germanic languages display some kind of verb-second (V2) rule, according to which the finite verbal form has to be put in the second position of the clause in declarative utterances. But even within the Germanic domain, the exact contours of the V2 rule vary strongly in time and space. Above all, the so-called bottleneck demanding that one and only one constituent be placed before the finite verb is not equally respected in all Germanic varieties. The typology of V2 violations, apparent or real, is now regarded as a core question for the typology of V2 itself. The present volume is concerned with all kinds of alleged “cracks in the bottleneck”, involving argument stacking, remnant movement, or adverbial resumption. A general introduction by Modicom and Harchaoui discusses the current state of linguistic research on verb-third phenomena in Germanic languages, both in synchrony and diachrony. The introduction is followed by a diachronic panorama of V3 phenomena in the history of High German, by A. Speyer, who shows that behind the apparent stability of V2, the syntactic typology of apparent V3 in German has undergone significant changes over the last centuries. The other contributions to the volume follow this variational and historical thread: E. Klaevik-Pettersen and N. Catasso discuss the validity of the bottleneck hypothesis in present and ancient V2 varieties. E. Louviot, Th. Robin, Chr. Nilsen and B. Bloom focus on verb-third phenomena involving resumptive items in the history of English, High German, Low German and Swedish. In their paper on Old West Germanic verse corpora, Louviot and Robin concentrate on clause-initial tha/tho, investigating which factors determine its capacity to either be followed by the finite verb (V2) or by another constituent before the finite verb (V3). Nilsen is concerned with the semantic evolution of verb-third adverbial resumption involving da and så in Swedish. Bloom focuses on the V3 use of one resumptive, so, in Early New High German during the 16th century, tackling the discourse-organizational factors behind adverbial resumption. Finally, the chapters by L. Riccardelli, R. Madaro, A. Tomaselli and E. Bidese investigate how contact between Germanic and Romance may have interacted with language-internal dynamics in the history of several varieties of Rhaeto-Romance (Riccardelli) and Upper German (Madaro, Tomaselli and Bidese).

Synopsis

This collection of ten texts offers a unique glimpse into the language and culture of the Muyu, a Papuan people living in the heart of New Guinea. It features narratives from six storytellers, all of which have been transcribed, translated, and linguistically annotated.

The presentation follows a two-part structure: first, a parallel-text format with Muyu and English arranged in columns; second, an interlinearized version for detailed linguistic analysis. The texts revolve around two central themes—myths of origin and accounts of encounters with animals.

A brief introduction to the Muyu language and its speakers precedes the texts, providing essential context for readers from both linguistic and anthropological backgrounds.

Synopsis:

This book explores the development of prosodic and interactional competence in second language acquisition, drawing on data from peer interactions by Italian learners of German in both German and their native language, Italian, as well as from German native speakers. Three key aspects of spoken interaction are examined across proficiency levels: prosodic marking of information status, turn-taking, and backchannels. The analysis of prosodic marking of information status reveals that learners mark givenness using distinct fundamental frequency patterns, as in their native language, but apply a reduction in prosodic strength typically found postfocally in native German, irrespective of its function. This suggests that learners perceive deaccentuation as a salient marker of native German, which they adopt during their learning. This book also presents a novel approach to quantifying interactional competence, showing that lower proficiency negatively affects the smoothness of interactional flow, resulting in reduced speech time and increased overall silence. Finally, it provides new insights into backchannel use in second language and cross-linguistic contexts. Results show a complex, non-arbitrary mapping between lexical type, turn-taking function, and intonation in both native languages. In second language speech, dyad-specific behaviour was found to have a stronger effect on backchannel frequency and duration than second language proficiency. Furthermore, learners tend to transfer preferred lexical backchannel types from their first language into their second language. Overall, this book offers a multidimensional perspective on second language spoken interaction and lays the groundwork for future applications in language teaching and assessment.

The doctoral work, on which this book is based, was awarded the IPA PhD Thesis Award for the “Best PhD Thesis in the broad area of Phonetics, Speech Sciences, and Laboratory Phonology” in 2024.

Difference-in-differences (DiD) is one of the most popular approaches for empirical research in economics, political science, and beyond. Identification in these models is based on the conditional parallel trends assumption: In the absence of treatment, the average outcome of the treated and untreated group are assumed to evolve in parallel over time, conditional on pre-treatment covariates. We introduce a novel approach to sensitivity analysis for DiD models that assesses the robustness of DiD estimates to violations of this assumption due to unobservable confounders, allowing researchers to transparently assess and communicate the credibility of their causal estimation results. Our method focuses on estimation by Double Machine Learning and extends previous work on sensitivity analysis based on Riesz Representation in cross-sectional settings. We establish asymptotic bounds for point estimates and confidence intervals in the canonical 2 × 2 setting and group-time causal parameters in settings with staggered treatment adoption. Our approach makes it possible to relate the formulation of parallel trends violation to empirical evidence from (1) pre-testing, (2) covariate benchmarking and (3) standard reporting statistics and visualizations. We provide extensive simulation experiments demonstrating the validity of our sensitivity approach and diagnostics and apply our approach to two empirical applications.