Conceptualizing “free-from” food consumption determinants: A systematic integrative literature review focused on gluten and lactose

BackgroundGluten- and lactose-free products are registering a sudden rise in the market, particularly among tolerant people, and this leads to consumer confusion and nutritional inadequacies. The number of studies around this trend has steadily increased in the last 10 years, as scholars from different disciplines have tried to rationalize consumers’ behaviours in these foods’ choice. However, the scientific debate appears fragmented and lacks an integrated view.ObjectivesWe conducted a systematic integrative review of consumers’ determinants of gluten-free and lactose-free consumption to frame the state of the art and research gaps.Methods45 English language articles reporting quantitative empirical studies ranging from 1971 and 2019 were analysed. First we categorized the consumption determinants in six factors applying the model proposed by Koster and Mojet, then we proposed a new integrated conceptualization inspired by Bronfenbrenner’s Transtheoretical Model. Moreover, differences and similarities between tolerant and intolerant consumers will be highlighted.ResultsResearch on intolerant consumers focused more on individuals’ determinants, in terms of awareness, trust, morality, and capability to read nutritional facts (as purchase facilitators); while studies targeting tolerant consumers focused more on objective product characteristics (with price and availability in supermarkets as barriers for consumption). In this target the subjective perspective has been studied only referring to the risk for developing psychological issues in the restrictive diet.ConclusionAs information is lacking in the scientific debate, we suggest for future research the integration of consumers’ subjective implicit levers to decipher free-from purchase behaviours.     

Developing social impact assessment guidelines in a pre-existing policy context

Few jurisdictions have translated internationally agreed social impact assessment (SIA) principles into statutory provisions. Governments and regulatory bodies tend to provide developers with high-level frameworks, or require that social impacts be ‘considered’, without specifying how this is to be done. In Australia, this lack of clarity leaves all parties uncertain about requirements for SIA. The New South Wales (NSW) Government’s 2017 release of the SIA guideline for State-significant mining, petroleum and extractive industry development represents an attempt to clarify requirements and provide guidance. In this paper, we describe the process of bringing this guideline to fruition from the perspective of being directly involved in its development, and highlight the challenges involved in integrating leading-practice principles into the state’s pre-existing policy framework. While the guideline represents a significant advance in policy-based SIA guidance, some aspects leave room for improvement. The real test of the guideline’s impact will lie in its influence on SIA practice in NSW, and ultimately in social outcomes for communities affected by resources projects.     

Defining University Anchor Institution Strategies: Comparing Theory to Practice

Since the 1990s, some urban universities have served as neighborhood anchors with an interest in revitalization. Current theory suggests anchors adopt ‘shared value’ approaches, leveraging resources for mutually beneficial improvement in the community. This study explores assumptions in contemporary anchor frameworks and uses a survey to examine how 22 U.S. universities approach their roles as anchor institutions. The study finds that the universities tend to prioritize place-based initiatives, while contemporary frameworks are more normative and highlight socioeconomic practices. Based on reported strategies, the author proposes an alternate typology that accounts for the ways universities most commonly describe anchor approaches, complementing contemporary theory.     

Seeing the bigger picture: Conditions that influence effective engagement of project executives with visuals

This exploratory study provides an influence diagram that shows the network of conditions that influence the use of visuals to effectively engage executives. The diagram was developed from the experiences of project managers and executives elicited through twenty-four semi-structured interviews. Twenty-nine conditions are found to influence the use of visuals to effectively engage executives. These are grouped into four categories: the executive's disposition to the use of visuals; the organisational conditions to create visuals; the project manager's understanding of the executive's information needs; and the executive's and project manager's appreciation of the benefits of using visuals. The study's results highlight that while the interviewed executives had a predisposition to the use of visuals as they are generally time-poor, capability to create visuals to support executive engagement was not widespread. Practical contributions include disclosing the criticality of organisational support for creating visuals and the vulnerability of executives in making project decisions.     

What’s the middle ground? Institutionalized vs. emerging water-related stakeholder engagement processes

Abstract

In this day and age, it is widely argued that stakeholder engagement in water-related decision-making processes yields many benefits, including legitimacy, acceptance and trust. Key legal frameworks, such as the European Water Framework Directive and the Aarhus Convention, have spurred the emergence of formal forms of stakeholder engagement. On the other hand, many engagement processes are spontaneous and self-organized. This article investigates the strategies used in formal (government-led) and informal (bottom-up) engagement processes in search of a middle ground. To this end, case studies in the Netherlands, the United States, Uganda and Ethiopia are analyzed using the OECD’s stakeholder engagement checklist. We conclude with reflection on the ways forward to make formal and informal stakeholder engagement complementary.     

Examining Open Data at the Urban Level: An Exploration of “Wellbeing Toronto”

This paper examines how Wellbeing Toronto (WT)—a free, open data, GIS tool that allows users to map information—has evolved into an extensive data repository with robust data analysis capabilities. Explored is the progress of open data scholarship in relation to municipal government and civic participation. Based on this, the authors note the following: (1) as open data becomes increasingly prevalent, a more varied understanding of the organization and structure of municipal government may emerge. (2) There is a need for measures of civic engagement to move beyond data co-production towards an organization-based interactive approach.     

美国宾城大学阿帕拉契学生中心

宾城大学阿帕拉契学生中心打开了从已有院区到山顶新的居住区的大门。学生中心的餐厅充分地利用丘陵地势设计,“浮”于基地之上。这不仅提供了向下面谷地开阔的视野,而且创造了包括广场、咖啡屋、露天剧场和石园在内的下层聚会空间。此外,一部巨大的楼梯从餐厅延伸下来,使餐厅成为新居住区的标志性入口。建筑内外的设计都旨在促进学生之间的社交活动。     

居民负荷需求响应参与度的物理影响因素分析

需求响应(Demand Response,DR)参与度是评价用户群体响应参与积极性与需求响应策略合理性的重要指标,也是电力相关部门更新DR策略的参考依据。在研究居民负荷响应模型的基础上,建立以居民负荷DR参与度最大为目标的需求响应概率优化模型;当需求响应范围足够大时,将所提概率优化模型等效为一系列混合整数规划问题,极大地降低了问题的求解难度,保证了最优解的全局唯一性;量化物理影响因素对DR参与度的作用,分析影响趋势及程度,结果表明:(1)能精准求解需求响应概率优化模型,获得DR参与度;(2)不同物理影响因素对DR参与度的作用趋势及程度各异,制定政策时需酌情考虑并调节分析。     

A contract design perspective on balancing the goals of utility regulation

Designing utility regulation involves trade-offs between different goals of contract design. Prioritising one objective may come at the cost of assigning a lower priority to another objective. This study compares four regulatory frameworks in terms of how they each prioritise different goals of contract design. While revenue-cap regulation can be said to minimise transaction costs, it also assigns a lower priority to coordination of production. Conversely, the frameworks that explicitly incorporate stakeholder engagement or negotiation prioritise coordination of production while assigning a lower priority to minimisation of transaction costs.     

Integrating community engagement and children's voices into design and planning education

This article shares outcomes from a year-long participatory planning process – one that brought together children and youth engagement, city planning, campus planning, and a university environmental design course to explore child-friendly, dense and affordable housing for a city of approximately 100,000 residents. This process of engagement asked design students to include youth participation and child-friendly cities as an integrated component of sustainable cities. The article shows varying degrees of transformation, views of children as credible participants, and values gained from the project. Many undergraduates changed their thinking about the role of young people in design processes and outcomes.