Reactive, Slow and...Innovative? Decision-making Structures and Policy Outputs

Consensus democracies like Switzerland are generally known to have a low innovation capacity (Lijphart 1999). This is due to the high number of veto points such as perfect bicameralism or the popular referendum. These institutions provide actors opposing a policy with several opportunities to block potential policy change (Immergut 1990; Tsebelis 2002). In order to avoid a failure of a process because opposing actors activate veto points, decision-making processes in Switzerland tend to integrate a large number of actors with different - and often diverging - preferences (Kriesi and Trechsel 2008). Including a variety of actors in a decision-making process and taking into account their preferences implies important trade-offs. Integrating a large number of actors and accommodating their preferences takes time and carries the risk of resulting in lowest common denominator solutions. On the contrary, major innovative reforms usually fail or come only as a result of strong external pressures from either the international environment, economic turmoil or the public (Kriesi 1980: 635f.; Kriesi and Trechsel 2008; Sciarini 1994). Standard decision-making processes are therefore characterized as reactive, slow and capable of only marginal adjustments (Kriesi 1980; Kriesi and Trechsel 2008; Linder 2009; Sciarini 2006). This, in turn, may be at odds with the rapid developments of international politics, the flexibility of the private sector, or the speed of technological development.

Steel columns of rolled wide flange section. Progress report no.1,

Mode of access: Internet.

Durability of steel sheet piling in shore structures.

Mode of access: Internet.

Dynamic three-dimensional finite element analysis of steel transportation structures : prepared for U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary, Office of University Research /

"Final report."

Operator and organizational maintenance manual : distributor, water, tank type, 1000 gal capacity, gasoline driven, truck mounted (General Steel Tank model 1602), FSN 3825-403-9334.

Includes index.

Operator, organizational, direct support and general support maintenance manual : kettle, heating, bituminous, GED, trailer mounted, 165 gallon capacity (General Steel Tank model 1901), FSN 3895-351-2354.

"November 1972."

Organizational, direct support, and general support maintenance repair parts and special tools list ... : kettle, heating, bituminous, GED, trailer mounted, 165 gallon capacity (General Steel Tank model 1901), FSN 3895-351-2354.

"October 1972."

Operator and organizational maintenance manual : tank, steel, vertical, bolted, knockdown, sealed openings, standard bottom and roof, gasoline, oil, or water (type I-pol and potable water, type II-pol and non-potable water), 100 barrel capacity ... 10,000 barrel capacity ....

"May, 1974."

Delamination Arrestment in Bonded-Bolted Composite Structures by Fasteners

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

In situ damage detection in frame structures through coupled response measurements

Due to the existence of global modes and local modes of the neighbouring members, damage detection on a structure is more challenging than damage on isolated beams. Detection of an artificial circumferential crack on a joint in a frame-like welded structure is studied in this paper using coupled response measurements. Similarity to real engineering structures is maintained in the fabrication of the test frame. Both the chords and the branch members have hollow sections and the branch members have smaller sizes. The crack is created by a hacksaw on a joint where a branch meets the chord. The methodology is first demonstrated on a single hollow section beam. The test results are then presented for the damaged and undamaged frame. The existence of the damage is clearly observable from the experimental results. It is suggested that this approach offers the-potential to detect damage in welded structures such as cranes, mining equipment, steel-frame bridges, naval and offshore structures. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.