Abstract This article advances the theory of policy paradigms by investigating when are rigid, constraining alternative perspectives and options, instead they more flexible, allowing actors to overcome paradigmatic restrictions differences. Departing from existing theories on paradigms, I conceptualize paradigm rigidity flexibility as characteristics that develop endogenously within policy-maki...

In this paper we will present an approach to solving the problem of choice of an optimal reservoir control strategy in the situation of flood emergency. The potential and often adopted actions include spontaneous releases of water from the reservoir based on the emergency precipitation forecasts. As side effects, the water level sinks below the minimum necessary to sustain the ecosystems in res...

Funding agencies rely on peer review and expert panels to select the research deserving funding. Peer has limitations, including bias against risky proposals or interdisciplinary research. The inter-rater reliability between reviewers is low, particularly for near funding line. are also increasingly acknowledging role of chance. Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) introduced a lottery in m...

In this paper I describe some of the ways in which landscape ecology principles have been incorporated into land use planning and change. In Scotland we have tried developing landscape-scale or regional plans for land use change to resolve issues of habitat fragmentation – the ‘big plans’ of the title. We have also developed ‘little plans’ – much smaller proposals based on individual designated...

A formal two-phase model of democratic policy deliberation is presented, in which in the first phase sufficient and necessary criteria for proposals to be accepted are determined (the ‘admissible’ criteria’) and in the second phase proposals are made and evaluated in light of the admissible criteria resulting from the first phase. Argument schemes for both phases are defined and formalised in a...