Roger Behrens – författare

Public transport systems in contemporary Sub-Saharan African cities are heavily reliant upon paratransit services. These services are defined as informal transportation which operates between the public and individual private spheres. In Africa paratransit is characterized by low quality of vehicles and chaotic management but it also provides cheap, accessible and flexible transport solutions for the urban poor. It is typically poorly regulated and operates as a set of informal businesses. A common result of weak public sector regulation and a fare strategy in which owners claim a fixed daily revenue target and drivers who keep the variable balance as income, is destructive competition and poor quality of service. There is an incontrovertible case for improving the quality, reliability and coverage of public transport systems, and some city governments have attempted to do so by initiating reform projects that envisage the phased replacement of paratransit operations with formalised bus rapid transit systems.

In this book the authors argue that there are, however, path dependencies and constraints that limit the possible extent of public transport system reform. Paratransit operations also have some inherent advantages with respect to demand responsiveness and service innovation. Attempts to eradicate paratransit may be neither pragmatic nor strategic. Two future scenarios are likely: hybrid systems comprised of both paratransit and formally planned modes; and systems improved by upgrades and strengthened regulation of existing paratransit services. The business strategies and aspirations of incumbent paratransit operators in three case cities – Cape Town, Dar es Salaam and Nairobi – are discussed, as well as their attitudes towards emerging public transport reform projects. International experiences of hybrid system regulation and paratransit business development are reviewed in order to explore policy options. The authors contend that policies recognising paratransit operators, and seeking contextually appropriate complementarity with formalised planned services, will produce greater benefits than policies ignoring their continued existence.

Public transport systems in contemporary Sub-Saharan African cities are heavily reliant upon paratransit services. These services are defined as informal transportation which operates between the public and individual private spheres. In Africa paratransit is characterized by low quality of vehicles and chaotic management but it also provides cheap, accessible and flexible transport solutions for the urban poor. It is typically poorly regulated and operates as a set of informal businesses. A common result of weak public sector regulation and a fare strategy in which owners claim a fixed daily revenue target and drivers who keep the variable balance as income, is destructive competition and poor quality of service. There is an incontrovertible case for improving the quality, reliability and coverage of public transport systems, and some city governments have attempted to do so by initiating reform projects that envisage the phased replacement of paratransit operations with formalised bus rapid transit systems.

In this book the authors argue that there are, however, path dependencies and constraints that limit the possible extent of public transport system reform. Paratransit operations also have some inherent advantages with respect to demand responsiveness and service innovation. Attempts to eradicate paratransit may be neither pragmatic nor strategic. Two future scenarios are likely: hybrid systems comprised of both paratransit and formally planned modes; and systems improved by upgrades and strengthened regulation of existing paratransit services. The business strategies and aspirations of incumbent paratransit operators in three case cities – Cape Town, Dar es Salaam and Nairobi – are discussed, as well as their attitudes towards emerging public transport reform projects. International experiences of hybrid system regulation and paratransit business development are reviewed in order to explore policy options. The authors contend that policies recognising paratransit operators, and seeking contextually appropriate complementarity with formalised planned services, will produce greater benefits than policies ignoring their continued existence.

Dieses Buch thematisiert im Rahmen einer interdisziplinär ausgerichteten TV-Serienforschung Beiträge zum besonderen Format der Kriegsserie. Der Bogen der diskutierten Serien reicht von M*A*S*H aus der Zeit des „klassischen“ Fernsehens bis zu neueren und neusten Produktionen, die über Streaming-Dienste angeboten werden wie zum Beispiel Das Boot oder die Bundeswehr-YouTube-Serien Die Rekruten und Mali. Diskutiert werden Kriegsserien in ihren Überschneidungen mit anderen Film- und TV-Genres (Krimiserie: Magnum, p.i., History-Serie: Vikings, Sciencefiction: Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, auch Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams). Im Focus steht überdies die steigende Bedeutung der Kriegsthematik in Serienproduktionen seit der Jahrtausendwende (im Zusammenhang mit den „neuen Kriegen“) wie Band of Brothers, The Pacific oder Generation Kill. Neben den aktualisierenden Untersuchungen geht es schließlich auch um historische Rekonstruktion, wenn Serien wie Combat! bis Over There untersucht werden.

Hinter der bunten und fröhlichen Fassade der spätkapitalistischen Popkultur herrscht eine »Diktatur der Angepassten«.In diesem Essayband räumt Roger Behrens mit der Vorstellung auf, dass »Pop« eine subversive oder dissidente Strategie sei, und zeichnet stattdessen mit einer kritischen Theorie der Popkultur das Bild einer stillstehenden und langweiligen Kultur des Konformismus.