Based on the analysis of a specially compiled corpus of internationally recognized English as a foreign language (EFL) reading tests at different levels of proficiency, this volume explores the relation between the complexity of written texts and the difficulty of reading comprehension tests. It brings together linguistic investigations into the text-inherent complexity of the tests and a study of the data derived from their administration to groups of Italian university students. The study of text complexity draws on corpus linguistics, text linguistics and systemic functional linguistics. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses are carried out on the language used in the reading texts and in the related tasks that make up the corpus of tests. The assessment of test difficulty, on the other hand, is informed by research on language testing, and, in particular, by findings and methodologies of Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory. Relevant aspects of these theories are used to analyze and interpret both the data obtained from the administration of the tests and the data collected by means of feedback questionnaires completed by test takers. The application of such diverse methodologies and the subsequent comparison of the results of the analyses has brought out interesting correlations between text-inherent complexity, perceived test difficulty and actual test difficulty.

The “language-communication-society” triangle defies traditional scientific approaches. Rather, it is a phenomenon that calls for an integration of complex, transdisciplinary perspectives, if we are to make any progress in understanding how it works. The highly diverse agents in play are not merely cognitive and/or cultural, but also emotional and behavioural in their specificity. Indeed, the effort may require building a theoretical and methodological body of knowledge that can effectively convey the characteristic properties of phenomena in human terms. New complexity approaches allow us to rethink our limited and mechanistic images of human societies and create more appropriate emo-cognitive dynamic and holistic models. We have to enter into dialogue with the complexity views coming out of other more ‘material’ sciences, but we also need to take steps in the linguistic and psycho-sociological fields towards creating perspectives and concepts better fitted to human characteristics. Our understanding of complexity is different – but not opposed – to the one that is more commonly found in texts written by people working in physics or computer science, for example. The goal of this book is to extend the knowledge of these other more ‘human’ or socially oriented perspectives on complexity, taking account of the language and communication singularities of human agents in society. Our understanding of complexity is different – but not opposed – to the one that is more commonly found in texts written by people working in physics or computer science, for example. The goal of this book is to extend the knowledge of these other more ‘human’ or socially oriented perspectives on complexity, taking account of the language and communication singularities of human agents in society.

This volume illustrates the high potential of learner corpus investigations for research into the CAF triad by presenting eleven original learner corpus-based studies which are set within solid theoretical frameworks, examine learner corpora with state-of-the-art analytical techniques and yield highly interesting findings. The volume’s major strength lies in the range of issues it undertakes and in its interdisciplinary thematic novelty. The chapters collectively address all three dimensions of L2 performance related to different linguistic subsystems (i.e. lexical, phraseological and grammatical complexity and accuracy, along with fluency) as well as the interactions among these constructs. The studies are based on data drawn from carefully compiled learner corpora which are analysed with the help of diverse corpus-based methods. The theoretical discussions and the empirical results shall contribute to the advancement of the fields of SLA and writing and speech research and shall inspire further investigations in the area of the CAF triad.

Language complexity has recently attracted considerable attention from linguists of many different persuasions. This volume – a thematic selection of papers from the conference Approaches to Complexity in Language, held in Helsinki, August 2005 – is the first collection of articles devoted to the topic. The sixteen chapters of the volume approach the notion of language complexity from a variety of perspectives. The papers are divided into three thematic sections that reflect the central themes of the book: Typology and theory, Contact and change, Creoles and pidgins. The book is mainly intended for typologists, historical linguists, contact linguists and creolists, as well as all linguists interested in language complexity in general. As the first collective volume on a very topical theme, the book is expected to be of lasting interest to the linguistic community.

This book explores the mechanisms and elements of populism to develop new theoretical and methodological approaches. Much as populism has been researched, it remains a contested notion without coherent definition and methodology and shaped by dimensions such as ideology, communication style, discourse, mobilization, and organization. It has simultaneously mobilized emotions, produced symbols, affected subjectivity and gender relations, and can manifest itself in different ways and appear in hybrid forms, such as in the cases of Silvio Berlusconi, Hugo Chávez, and Donald Trump. International expert contributors explore how such a variety of phenomena can be explained and analyzed, expanding the scope of populism research by proposing a multidimensional and complex understanding of populism. They argue for a greater epistemological differentiation and propose a methodology that integrates different fields of politics. This complex approach makes it possible to analyze populism as a multifaceted phenomenon and to understand how populisms affect politics and society. Aimed at postgraduates and researchers in populism as well as scholars in political science and sociology, media, communication, cultural, gender, and global studies, the volume also contributes to a better understanding of manifestations of right-wing and authoritarian populism in the twenty-first century.

This book provides a vast amount of information on new approaches, limitations, and control on current polymers and chemicals complexity of various origins, on scales ranging from single molecules and nano-phenomena to macroscopic chemicals. Starting with a detailed introduction, the book is comprised of chapters that survey the current progress in particular research fields. The chapters, prepared by leading international experts, yield together a fascinating picture of a rapidly developing research discipline that brings chemical technology and polymers to new frontiers.

Despite the role of shadow banking in the building up of the 2008 international financial crisis, the massive size of this sector, its cross-border nature, and the risks it entails for financial stability, the post-crisis regulation of shadow banking has remained rather feeble. Why? The Perils of International Regime Complexity in Shadow Banking identifies a 'game of shadows', which unfolded recursively concerning the definition, monitoring, and regulation of shadow banking internationally. Thus, states, regulators, and private actors tended to cast light away from various parts of the shadow banking system - shadow banking was (re)fined over time, its measurement was narrowed down, lessening the (perceived) need for regulation. The playing out of such a game was facilitated by the international architecture for shadow banking governance, which is a 'regime complex' characterized by the presence of multiple institutions and elemental regimes governing a set of related issues. Indeed, shadow banking is a quintessential case for demonstrating the perils of international regime complexity, which magnifies problems that are endemic in governing global finance - namely, interstate competition, disagreement between technocratic bodies, and the power of the financial industry - while splintering solutions, due to the fragmentation of regulatory authority. Empirically, this book examines various elemental regimes concerning different aspects of shadow banking, namely: international standards for defining, measuring, and monitoring global shadow banking; international standards for shadow banking entities, including money market funds, hedge funds, and investment funds; international standards for shadow banking activities, such as securitization, securities lending, and repos; international standards for bank capital exposures to shadow banking.

The concepts of evolution and complexity theory have become part of the intellectual ether permeating the life sciences, the social and behavioral sciences, and, more recently, management science and economics. In this book, John E. Mayfield elegantly synthesizes core concepts from multiple disciplines to offer a new approach to understanding how evolution works and how complex organisms, structures, organizations, and social orders can and do arise based on information theory and computational science. Intended for the intellectually adventuresome, this book challenges and rewards readers with a nuanced understanding of evolution and complexity that offers consistent, durable, and coherent explanations for major aspects of our life experiences. Numerous examples throughout the book illustrate evolution and complexity formation in action and highlight the core function of computation lying at the work's heart.

An unprecedented political, economic, social, and legal storm was unleashed by the United Kingdom's June 2016 referendum to leave the European Union and the government's response to the vote. After decades of strengthening European integration and independence, Brexit necessitates a deep understanding of its international law implications on both sides of the English Channel in order to chart the stormy seas of negotiating and advancing beyond separation. In Complexity's Embrace, international law practitioners and academics from the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada and the United States look beyond the rhetoric of "Brexit Means Brexit" and "no agreement is better than a bad agreement" to explain the challenges that need to be addressed in the diverse fields of trade, financial services, insolvency, intellectual property, environment, and human rights. The authors in this volume articulate, with unvarnished clarity, the international law implications of Brexit, providing policy makers, commentators, the legal community, and civil society with critical information they need to participate in negotiating their future within or outside Europe. Complexity's Embrace explores the many unprecedented questions about the UK's future trading arrangements. Contributors include Thomas Cottier, Armand de Mestral, Oonagh E. Fitzgerald, David A. Gantz, Markus Gehring, Valerie Hughes, Matthias Lehmann, Eva Lein, Dorothy Livingston, Richard Macrory, Luke McDonagh, Marc Mimler, Howard P. Morris, Gabriel Moss, Helen Mountfield, Federico M. Mucciarelli, Joe Newbigin, Colm O’Cinneide, Damilola S. Olawuyi, Christoph G. Paulus, Maziar Peihani, Freedom-Kai Phillips, Stephen Tromans, Diana Wallis, and Dirk Zetzsche.

Desde la perspectiva sociológica, el concepto de tecnología no puede referirse únicamente a los objetos técnicos, sino también a los procesos sociales y culturales que involucra. La sociocibernética y la teoría de sistemas plantean un marco conceptual esencial para el necesario debate sobre el papel de la tecnología en la configuración de la complejidad social. La tecnología permite al sistema social gestionar la complejidad social. La tecnología permite al sistema social gestionar la complejidad de su entorno a la vez que, por otra parte, contribuye a incrementar y diversificar la naturaleza compleja de las interdependencias entre la sociedad y los actores individuales. Simultáneamente, la creciente complejidad social demanda nuevas formas tecnológicas que permitan gestionarla. En suma, la tecnología se halla en la base de cualquier discusión relevante sobre la naturaleza contemporánea de la sociedad, ya sea del lado de los problemas (riesgo, control, y vigilancia global, bioética y bioingeniería, manipulación mediática, ecológica etc.) o del lado de las soluciones (comunicaciones instantáneas, ubicuidad y movilidad, accesibilidad, disponibilidad de conocimiento, etc.).