Descent morphisms and a van Kampen theorem in categories of lax algebras (Q429316)

The classical van Kampen theorem is usually given as a result on how to calculate the fundamental group of a pointed space, \(X\), given information on the fundamental groups \(\pi_1(X_1)\), \(\pi_1(X_2)\) and \(\pi_1(X_1\cap X_2)\) of the various parts of an open cover \(\{X_1,X_2\}\) of \(X\). Using the relationship between fundamental groups and covering spaces, this becomes a result on gluing categories of covering spaces on an open cover of \(X\) and hence a result in descent theory for topological spaces. Topological spaces are examples of lax algebras and in this paper the authors prove a general analogue of the descent version of the van Kampen theorem using a detailed analysis of effective descent in various categories of lax algebras.