Stimulating a more Circular Economy through Public Procurement: Roles and dynamics of intermediation

Public procurement can accelerate transitions to a more circular economy by creating new demand for resource efficiency. Interactions during pre-procurement consultations influence the impact of such purchasing by helping define tender specifications. Intermediation throughout these processes can facilitate interactions between participants, assisting in sourcing, generating, and translating knowledge. However, roles for intermediaries and dynamics of intermediation are not fully understood. This paper intends to address how intermediation can promote a more circular economy. It examines a pilot project led by the Dutch Ministry of Defence to incorporate post-consumer recycled content in textiles through extensive consultation activities. Eighteen in-depth interviews were conducted with those directly involved in the pilot, and analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Six intermediaries were identified and found to play a critical role in the process by 1) coordinating government and industry through aligning project goals, 2) facilitating cooperation of industry players to stimulate new business relationships, and 3) collaborating with the buyer to push for higher post-consumer recycled material in the final tender. With respect to public demand articulation, greater insight is needed to discover how to best combine buyers’ motivations for cost savings, sellers’ motivations of increased returns, and the sustainability requirements often imposed by third parties. These dynamics may mark transitions toward circularity as further projects arise, offering a more permanent role for intermediation.     

Neue Reitsportmotive jenseits des klassischen Turniersports

While the traditional equestrian disciplines of dressage and show jumping are losing members, other equestrian sports have become established in Germany and are enjoying increasing popularity. This empirical study examines the background behind this trend. A total of 1,814 horse riders were asked about their motives for riding. By applying factor and cluster analysis, a typology of riders was developed in order to reveal differences in motives between these groups. The performance-orientated riders are more represented in the classic equestrian disciplines, while the newer equestrian disciplines are mostly dominated by motives of pleasure. Overall, there is a clear trend towards more relaxation, recreation and self-fulfillment in equestrian sports. The desire to achieve success and to compete with others in one’s leisure time only remains important for a small proportion of riders. Therefore, riding clubs must try to balance the demands of performance-oriented and leisure riders and apply target group marketing to expand and to secure their member base.     

Verletzungen im Leistungssport aus soziologischer Perspektive

Injury in competitive sport is widely seen as a topic within the medical and psychological domain. This article gives an overview of sociological research on dealing with injury in competitive sport. Besides findings of a culture of risk, medical treatment practices and the governance of medical support systems, there are still many unanswered questions to which the sociology of sport could make a relevant contribution. Perspectives for future studies correspond with the social dynamics of injury, the structural role constraints in a medical treatment or rehabilitation context, and the governance of complex social networks for injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation processes.