‘Positional goods’, a term coined by Fred Hirsch, is an important concept in economics, social sciences and philosophy; however, it is used in different ways. This paper recovers Hirsch’s concept of positional goods as scarce goods that are fixed or near-fixed in supply and argues for the usefulness of this concept. Hirsch’s concept may have explanatory power beyond the concept used by most economists – that of Robert Frank. Moreover, Hirsch’s concept is more explanatorily basic and useful than the concept used by most philosophers – that of Brighouse and Swift.

Thirty-five years have passed since the killing of the South African refugee Jerry Masslo in Villa Literno in 1989 to the death of the Indian labourer Satnam Singh in Latina in 2024, marked by exploitation, violence, and abuses in the Southern Italian countryside. Only a few journalistic reports have documented this situation, and the article aims to fill this historiographical gap with a timely investigation, calling for the start of an international debate on the inhuman working conditions of foreigners in the countryside of developed countries. The article highlights some variables that have remained steady over time: the absence of public policies to regularise agricultural labour, the widespread presence of informal settlements in the countryside with risks to the safety of farm labourers, the low wage levels that violate people’s dignity, the persistent illegality in recruiting labour through ‘caporalato’ (forced labour), deaths at work due to exploitation and climate change. These are elements of critical analysis that call for an in-depth reflection on how to improve the working conditions of labourers in the rural economy today. The contribution of foreigners, as emerges from the quantitative analysis in the article, is irreplaceable for the well-being of developed societies. This is why history has an essential ethical and civic mission in highlighting the conditions of severe exploitation in which they are forced to work.

During nematode surveys conducted to investigate the biodiversity of plant-parasitic nematodes in Mediterranean olive groves with different management strategies (organic and conventional), a nematode population of the genus Neothada was detected in southern Spain. Application of integrative taxonomical approaches clearly demonstrated that it is a new species described herein as Neothada olearum sp. nov., also representing the first report of the genus in Spain. The new species is amphimictic, characterised by a short body (563–774 μm); cuticle widely annulated (2.5–3.0 μm); total number of body annuli 214–226; 16 longitudinal ridges giving a tessellate body surface; stylet without distinct basal knobs (9.0–11.0 μm); and tail elongate-conoid, with tip bluntly rounded. The results of molecular analysis of D2-D3 28S rRNA, ITS rRNA, partial 18S rRNA, and cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 (COI) gene sequences support for the new species status and clearly separated from N. major and other species within Neothada. Phylogenetic analyses of ribosomal and mitochondrial markers of this study suggested that Neothada is a monophyletic genus, clearly separated from Thada.

This paper studies voter turnout and selective abstention on voting days with more than one election or referendum. We extend the rational choice model to a setting with multiple concurrent votes. The model is based on a voter’s net benefit, which includes a vote’s salience and information costs. It explains how the net benefit of different concurrent votes enters a voter’s utility function and thereby affects turnout and selective abstention, the tendency to vote in one but not all votes held on the same day. We test our theoretical predictions using data on concurrent propositions in Switzerland from 1988 to 2016. Our results suggest that the proposition with the highest net benefit and the sum of the net benefits of all concurrent propositions are relevant determinants of the individual turnout decision. We also find that a proposition’s net benefit explains variation in selective abstention.

How do authoritarian actors navigate the liberal international order, adopting democratic facades without committing to democratic principles? And why is it so difficult for the international normative system to debunk their pretence when it comes to the use of democratic values? This paper explores this question by introducing ‘profilicity’ and ‘performativity’ as key concepts to understand how autocratic regimes build powerful profiles within a liberal system that values authenticity. Unlike conventional theories, which assume that engagement with liberal norms requires genuine commitment, profilicity reveals that strategic image-building can be just as effective. Through this lens, we see how autocracies exploit liberalism’s own ideals, using performative adaptation to secure status and reshape norms. This paper suggests that the liberal order’s emphasis on sincerity may itself be a strategic weakness, one that autocratic actors skilfully navigate in a world increasingly driven by profiles over principles.

A growing demand for wheat as a staple crop leads to an expansion of its production. The consequence is land use change and short rotations for wheat. But wheat grown in short rotations causes yield decline. To secure future food supplies, a deeper understanding of the physiological processes contributing to this yield reduction is needed. Therefore, a three-year data set from a long-term field trial in Northern Germany was analysed to investigate the impact of crop rotational position (CRP) (wheat grown in the first [W1] and in the third [W3] year in self sequence after break crop) in combination with three genotypes and four rates of nitrogen (N) fertilizer on intercepted radiation by the canopy (Q), radiation use efficiency (RUE), grain yield and yield components. All genotypes showed a reduction of Q, RUE and yields in W3. The focus was further set on differences in yield formation pre- and post-anthesis. This revealed a significant interaction between CRP and genotype. An overall reduction in intercepted radiation pre-anthesis as well as in kernels/m2 in W3 suggested, that yield formation under adverse pre-crop conditions was rather ‘source limited’. A possibility to compensate this limitation might be a prolonged phase of radiation interception post-anthesis.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Task Group 120 (TG120) is developing ICRP recommendations for radiological protection for a wide range of radiation accidents and malicious events, complementing those given in ICRP Publication 146 (2020) for large nuclear accidents. The scope includes accidents involving criticalities, operating faults, and fires and explosions in nuclear facilities, inadvertent damage to sealed radiation sources, as well as malicious events, such as sabotage of nuclear facilities or materials, use of radiological dispersal devices, the contamination of food and drinking water supplies, and the deployment of nuclear weapons. A template has been designed to collate relevant information on a wide range of case studies and hypothetical malicious scenarios to ensure that the recommendations developed are broadly applicable and comprehensive. For all scenarios, a graded approach to protection is being taken, accepting that specific guidance may be required for some distinctive aspects, for example, protection during times of armed conflict. This paper provides an overview of the scenarios and scope of the work of TG120, including some of the radiological and non-radiological impacts of radiation emergencies, along the response and recovery timeline.

Assessment of new genotypes in on-farm trials and under different tillage options is a current strategy for in-station experiments to enhance the breeding process and its final output in farmers’ fields, which can help increase productivity and sustainability in variable rainfed conditions. The objectives were to evaluate the agronomic performance of barley genotypes under different tillage systems in farmers’ fields and to provide suggestions to help farmers use resources more efficiently and sustainably for their proper field management. Five barley genotypes including four cultivars (Abider, Sararood1, Nader, Efes-3) and a promising breeding line (Yea168) were tested in three tillage methods, that is, conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT) and no tillage (NT) in on-farm trials in two locations (Sarabnilofar and Dalahoo) and three cropping seasons (2018–2021). The results revealed high variability in productivity and other studied traits in farmers’ conditions that were significantly affected by genotypes, tillage managements, locations, and years. Barley genotypes, except Efes-3, positively interacted with CT. The highest grain yield was observed in CT conditions (2613 kg/ha), followed by NT (2520 kg/ha) and RT (2470 kg/ha), showing about 5.8% and 3.6% better performance in CT than in RT and NT, respectively. Across locations and years, breeding line Yea168 outperformed all four cultivars in all three tillage systems and should be recommended for cultivation under rainfed conditions. The results of genotype by trait (GT) biplot analysis indicated that the traits relations and traits profiles of genotypes are different among tillage systems and locations. High-yielding genotypes had their own specific traits that resulted in their better performance. Breeding line Yea168, followed by Nader cultivar performed well in Sarabnilofar location, where 1000-kernel weight (TKW), plant height (PLH), number of grains per spike (NGPS), normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and spike per square metre (spike/m2) were the most important traits in deciding grain yield in this location, whereas in Dalahoo location, Sararood1 performed well and TKW, SPAD (chlorophyll content), NGPS, and spike/m2 had considerable contributions to grain yield. The findings demonstrated the breeding line Yea168 as the best-performing genotype across tillage systems, making it highly recommended for cultivation in rainfed areas of western Iran.