Anglophone Countries Research Articles

Teacher presence in EFL-learners’ (re-)creation of text for literary text comprehension

In anglophone countries, creative writing as an established university course of studies aims at preparing budding authors for their future profession. Creative writing in the context of teaching English as a foreign language at school in Germany is related to the methodological principles of action- and production-orientation. The latter focus on the learners’ response to literary texts thereby allowing them to combine literary text analysis and creative alternations of the texts under discussion. The question arises as to what aspects of a teacher’s presence in an EFL-classroom facilitate pupils’ creating imaginative texts of their own. Moreover, if the texts created by EFL-learners are designed to be performed, the teacher’s presence directing their pupils from written productions to oral performances needs further substantiating. In this paper, it is claimed that the success of creative writing and performing the texts pro­duced largely depends upon the English language teacher’s presence vis-à-vis subject matter knowledge, classroom management, and rapport to their pupils. In this way, teachers make their learners experience creative writing not only as a form of com­prehending literary texts, but also as a way to help students reflect upon their roles as writers, learners, and performers of English as a foreign language.

A fascination with tailless mice: a scientific historical review of studies of the T/t complex.

The T/t complex of the mouse attracted many of the major figures of mouse genetics to perform genetic, cytogenetic, physiological, biochemical and molecular biological studies of it. These studies started with the discovery of short tailed mutants (Ts) and recessive lethal developmental mutations (ts) which mapped to the same "locus" in the early 1920s in France. However, due to the non-receptivity of French scientists to genetics, they continued to be studied in mostly Anglophone countries to be joined by a wider international community in the 1970s. These discoveries led to developmental studies of the lethal mutants which provided the origin of mammalian developmental genetics. The fascinating property of transmission ratio distortion (non-50/50 segregation of alleles in offspring of males) elicited tremendous interest. There were false leads (that the region consisted of unusual DNA, that the alleles controlled cell surface antigens on embryonic cells and spermatozoa) and exciting discoveries. This historical review provides a review of this extensive area of research and some of the individuals involved in it.

Breach of pacta sunt servanda: A corpus-assisted analysis of newspaper discourse on the AUKUS agreement

The AUKUS agreement,11The abbreviation AUKUS stands for ‘Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States’. a strategic pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, primarily aimed to facilitate Australia's acquisition of eight nuclear-powered submarines from the US and Britain. This agreement led to the abrupt termination of a previous contract with France's state-owned Naval Group. This article examines the language used in media coverage of the AUKUS agreement in newspapers from various Anglophone and Asian countries. Employing a combination of Sentiment Analysis (Crossley et al., 2017) and Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies (Partington, 2013; Gillings et al., 2023), we focus on identifying key linguistic patterns, themes, and the sentiment embedded in the discourse. Our findings indicate a general positive assessment of AUKUS in the Anglophone media, contrasted with negative portrayals in Chinese publications. Moreover, the analysis of linguistic components such as adjectives, nouns, and verbs reveals underlying complexities and conflicting viewpoints within the Anglophone discourse itself. By applying Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies, we uncover the contextual and linguistic factors that shape these diverse perspectives.

Long-run trends in partisan polarization of climate policy-relevant attitudes across countries

ABSTRACT We summarize long-run trends in partisan polarization of voters’ climate policy-relevant attitudes across 36 countries and multiple decades (1993–2020). We find substantial growth in partisan polarization of these attitudes in the US, other Anglophone countries and much of Western Europe, but not elsewhere. Comparing Western European to Anglophone countries, partisan polarization is more prominent on different climate policy-relevant attitudes, and primarily involves supporters of different party types. Observed partisan polarization patterns are not well explained by changes in either linkage to economic ideology or levels of general societal disagreement on climate policy-relevant questions. Growing partisan polarization does not generally reflect all partisan groups becoming more accepting of climate reform yet diverging because of differing rates of change. Instead, what disagreements there are on these matters have become increasingly tied to party support. Our findings highlight the increasing difficulty of achieving sustained political consensus for effective climate reform across many countries.

Academic return migration amidst North-to-South trend: an integrative inquiry into the case of Chinese international STEM researchers

ABSTRACT Set against the booming reverse migration of scientific talents from developed nations to newly-emerged advanced economies, this study particularly examines the return of Chinese early career researchers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Deploying a mixed research design that integrates quantitative and qualitative traditions, it aims to address three prominent knowledge gaps surrounding this emergent pattern of transnational academic migration. According to survey results, caring duties, career prospects, and cultural attachments have consistently emerged as the primary drivers for returnees who received PhD training in various host destinations. In contrast, economic and lifestyle concerns were of much less import to those completing the doctorate in leading Anglophone countries. Stark gender disparities were also observed, with male returnees’ desire to secure cultural familiarity and upward mobility especially evident and their use of transnational academic networks more prevalent. Moreover, participants who made the decision to return toward the end of their overseas sojourn and whose doctoral education was sponsored by the Chinese government demonstrated a significantly higher likelihood of considering onward migratory movement. While largely corroborating the quantitative findings, interview data further highlights the vital role of a justice-oriented university environment in attracting high-skilled talents from across different axes of social disadvantage. Throughout, it points to the prospective stickiness of return migration instigated amidst the radical shifts in global science. We conclude the paper with critical reflections on our empirical and methodological focus.

Navigating Stepwise Lifestyle Mobilities via the Global South: Japanese Migrant Families’ Negotiation of Educational and Lifestyle Aspirations in Malaysia

ABSTRACTStudies of the transnational migration of East Asian families have examined how they enhance their status and well‐being by moving their children to schools in Western anglophone countries. Although recent studies have identified Southeast Asia as a new, affordable destination for less affluent families, we do not know their future transnational trajectories. To fill this gap, this study employed interview data from 46 Japanese families who had migrated to Malaysia with their children and investigated how they navigated their transnational mobilities from Malaysia. To explain their pattern, I introduce the concept of ‘stepwise lifestyle mobilities’, transnational mobility pathways adopted by relatively affluent people from developed countries, who may face constraints due to factors such as race, ethnicity, limited global experience or financial limitations but a desire for an international experience. They start from a low‐cost, low‐risk country like Malaysia and seek staged lifestyle migration regionally and/or globally.

Fiscal Policy, Institutional Quality, and Sustainable Development Goals: A Perspective of Anglophone Countries in West Africa

Fiscal Policy, Institutional Quality, and Sustainable Development Goals: A Perspective of Anglophone Countries in West Africa

Faltering mortality improvements at young-middle ages in high-income English-speaking countries.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, stagnating life expectancy trends were reported in some high-income countries (HICs). Despite previous evidence from country-specific studies, there is a lack of comparative research that provides a broader perspective and challenges existing assumptions. This study aims to examine longevity trends and patterns in six English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States) by combining period and cohort perspectives and to compare them with other HICs. Using data from the Human Mortality and World Health Organization Mortality Databases, we estimated partial life expectancy, lifespan inequality and cohort survival differences for 1970-2021, as well as the contribution of causes of death to the gap in life expectancy between English-speaking countries and the average for other HICs in 2017-19. In the pre-pandemic period, the increase in life expectancy slowed in all English-speaking countries, except Ireland, mainly due to stagnating or rising mortality at young-middle ages. Relative to other HICs, those born in Anglophone countries since the 1970s experienced relative survival disadvantage, largely attributable to injuries (mainly suicides) and substance-related mortality (mainly poisonings). In contrast, older cohorts enjoyed advantages for females in Australia and Canada and for males in all English-speaking countries except the United States. Although future gains in life expectancy in wealthy societies will increasingly depend on reducing mortality at older ages, adverse health trends at younger ages are a cause for concern. This emerging and avoidable threat to health equity in English-speaking countries should be the focus of further research and policy action.

Life expectancy and geographic variation in mortality: an observational comparison study of six high-income Anglophone countries

ObjectiveTo compare life expectancy levels and within-country geographic variation in life expectancy across six high-income Anglophone countries between 1990 and 2018.DesignDemographic analysis using aggregated mortality data.SettingSix high-income Anglophone countries (USA,...

Agreement for Recovery: First Spanish Consensus on the Concept of Alcohol Addiction Recovery.

Current literature does not dispose from a widely accepted definition of recovery in alcohol use disorder (AUD), and most proposals originate from anglophone countries. This study introduces a pioneering consensus in Spain on the definition of recovery in AUD. The Delphi method was used. The expert panel, comprising 54 multidisciplinary professionals from the Community of Madrid. A high level of consensus (≥80% agreement) was reached for 45% of the items and majority (≥60%) for 84%. Recovery is understood as a dynamic, personalized, and voluntary process, potentially enduring throughout one's lifespan. It entails a transformative lifestyle shift aimed at achieving a significant improvement in overall quality of life, encompassing physical and mental health, interpersonal relationships, and environmental factors. The journey of recovery is marked by heightened psychological well-being, is characterized by empowerment, personal growth, existential purpose, and positive identity reconstruction. Recovery is supported by substance use management, requires proactive individual agency and involves both personal and societal responsibilities. This study represents a milestone as it is the first consensus in the Community of Madrid on the meaning of recovery in AUD. The proposed definition of recovery could be a potential reference for similar regions within Spain or even for other countries with cultural similarities. The elucidation of a clear framework of recovery provides a solid basis for future research efforts and clinical interventions in the Spanish AUD landscape.

Political backlash and consumer boycotts: Evidence from the NFB relocation and movie demand in Canada

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate the impact of the announcement in 1952 of a change in Canadian cultural policy, namely the reorganization of the National Film Board (NFB) and the move of its headquarters from Ottawa to Montréal, on movie demand. Using weekly box office revenue data for a subsample of movie theatres in Toronto and Montréal from 1945 to 1955, we estimate the impact of this policy change with a triple difference estimator and find that the NFB headquarters move in Canada was followed by a decrease in movie attendance for movies produced in anglophone countries and an increase in movie attendance for French movies in Montréal. We complement our analysis with Odesi public poll Canadian data from 1949 to 1959 and find that poll respondents from Quebec held a more negative opinion about the decisions of the Canadian government and the tide of Americanization, relative to respondents elsewhere, and that their opinion deteriorated further after the relocation announcement and the relocation itself took place. This finding is consistent with our hypothesis that the relocation of NFB headquarters caused political backlash and triggered a boycott against anglophone, especially American, movies in Quebec.

How funding scarcity and ineffective governance tools inhibit urban greenspace provision: An exploration of municipal greenspace managers’ insights

Local government is at the forefront of providing communities with urban greenspace, amidst responding to global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and population growth. Much research has focused on the demands for more urban greenspace; far less has examined issues concerning supply. Better understanding of the dilemmas faced by those charged with the task of providing urban greenspace at the city scale can help policymakers, planners, and aligned professions ensure that municipal resources are appropriately and justly allocated. We aim to address this gap, answering two research questions: 1) what factors shape urban greenspace provision, and 2) how do these factors manifest differently for municipalities of Australia and New Zealand? We surveyed 82 local government officers/officials from mid-size municipalities of nine Anglophone countries about their experience providing municipal greenspace. We expose some of the experiences, challenges, and emerging issues facing contemporary municipal greenspace providers globally, including the drivers and barriers to urban greenspace provision. Findings reveal the complexities of supplying urban greenspace, shaped by multiple factors. While funding, community expectations, and governance tools, are the main factors, funding is the main barrier to providing urban greenspace globally. Moreover, almost all other factors affect availability of sufficient funding. Key differences for Australia and New Zealand reveal a broadening conceptualisation of the purpose of parks: more so multi-purpose than primarily sport and recreation. Revealing challenges greenspace managers face in delivering adequate urban greenspace and facilities, these findings question the efficacy of the current planning approaches embedded in planning legislation, municipal greenspace plans and strategies.

Income inequality and income poverty in a cross-national perspective

Abstract This commentary—a reflection on the Bourquin, Brewer and Wernham article in this collection—draws on harmonized microdata from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) Database. It aims to place selected results from the UK in cross-national perspective. The comparator countries, all high-income, include one Nordic country, Norway; one continental European country, Germany; and three other Anglophone countries, Australia, Canada and the USA. The commentary assesses each of these key outcomes, both cross-nationally and over time: income inequality and redistribution, top-half and bottom-half income inequality, and child and elderly poverty. It closes with a brief discussion of policy lessons.

Allocating Housing Assistance After the Decentring of Social Housing: From Rationing to Social Sorting

ABSTRACT Anglophone countries are diversifying their responses to housing insecurity, decentring social housing and expanding use of market-oriented assistance that aims to promote “housing independence” . Drawing on fieldwork in three Australian jurisdictions, this paper examines the impact of this shift for how housing assistance is allocated. We argue that allocations practices can no longer be understood as centred on the rationing of a single product – social housing. Rather, they nowadays perform a “social sorting” function that mimics those developed in consumer marketing, where personal information is collected to classify and segment consumers to match them to tailored “products”. These practices sort households based on their “capacity for independence”, aiming to maximize market engagement and reserving social housing for those with the most complex needs. We conclude that these sorting practices ignore both the realities of private renting in Australia (as elsewhere) and the self-defined housing needs of low-income households.

Township entrepreneurship, Unemployment and Economic Development: Myth or Reality in Sub-Saharan African Countries

This study aims to perform a comparative analysis of the influence of township entrepreneurship on unemployment and economic development among the Francophone and Anglophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The study employed a descriptive and quantitative research design where a longitudinal data was sourced from the World Development Indicators (WDI) and World Bank Entrepreneurship databases on 12 and 9 Francophone and Anglophone countries respectively. A Fixed Effect panel regression model was employed to attain the objectives of the study. The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant negative effect of township entrepreneurship on unemployment; and also, township entrepreneurship has a positive significant effect on economic development. Both relationships were found to have insignificant differences between Anglophone and Francophone countries suggesting that the ability of township entrepreneurship to minimize the rate of unemployment and boost economic development is generic and irrespective of cultural and social differences. This study was anchored on the behavioral theory of social entrepreneurship to provide empirical contribution to existing literature.

Mapping the scientific knowledge and approaches to defining and measuring hate crime, hate speech, and hate incidents: A systematic review.

Mapping the scientific knowledge and approaches to defining and measuring hate crime, hate speech, and hate incidents: A systematic review.

Gradients in low birthweight by maternal education: A comparative perspective

BackgroundLongstanding research has shown strong inequalities in low birthweight by household income. However, most such research has focused on Anglophone countries, while evidence emerging from other developed countries suggest a stronger role of education rather than incomes in creating inequalities at birth. This paper compares gradients in low birthweight by maternal education, as well as explores underlying mechanisms contributing to these gradients, in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom. MethodsAnalyses are based on harmonized data from large, nationally-representative samples from France, UK and US. We use regression models and decomposition methods to explore the relative role of several possible mechanisms in producing birthweight inequalities. ResultsInequalities in low birth weight across maternal education groups were relatively similar in the United States, the United Kingdom and France. However, the individual-level mechanisms producing such inequalities varied substantially across the three countries, with income being most important in the US, pregnancy smoking being most evident in France, and the UK occupying an intermediate position. Differences in the mechanisms producing birth health inequalities mirror differences in the policy environment in the three countries. ConclusionWhile inequalities in health appear from the earliest moments in many countries, our results suggest research on birth health inequalities, and therefore policies, is not easily generalizable across national contexts, and call for more scholarship in uncovering the “whys” of health inequalities in a variety of contexts.

Board attributes and sustainability reporting of selected listed nonfinancial firms in anglophone Sub-Saharan African countries: A multinomial logistic regression

Resource depletion, social inequality, and climate change are key among the global issues affecting the modern corporate world. Corporate sustainability is a major agenda at corporate boards. Stakeholders are increasingly demanding corporate responsibility in the wake of global resource depletion. Sustainability reporting has been experienced differently in different regions, with emerging economies being adversely stuck. Combating the bearing effects has been difficult due to a lack of synergy among the nations as well as a lack of harmonized corporate disclosure. Understanding the global socioeconomic and environmental concerns requires a close examination of the major determinants of sustainability reporting. Grounded on the agency, stakeholders, and legitimacy theory, this study aims to evaluate the influence of board attributes on sustainability reporting. Using a multinomial logistic regression model, the study assessed 110 nonfinancial firms listed in 10 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 2016 to 2021. The study analyzed the influence of board attributes on sustainability reporting. The result indicates that board size, board meetings, board independence, and board gender diversity have a positive influence on sustainability reporting. The finding provides policy implications and insight into the need for more representative boards with increased gender diversity and independence. Additionally, an optimal frequency of board meetings is needed to strengthen oversight, efficacy, and transparency of sustainability reporting initiatives in SSA. Larger representative board sizes could be rewarded with tax concessions.

Sustainable entrepreneurship: A catalyst for unemployment reduction and economic growth in Anglophone and Francophone countries

AbstractThe purpose of the study is in two fold. First, the study examines the impact of language, history, and culture in Anglophone and Francophone countries on the rate of unemployment and economic growth. Second, the study explores the extent to which sustainable entrepreneurship influences the rate of unemployment, and economic growth in Anglophone and Francophone (A&F) countries. The study employed a descriptive and quantitative research design where a longitudinal data were sourced from the World Development Indicators and World Bank Entrepreneurship databases on 12 and 9 Francophone and Anglophone countries respectively. The random effect and the generalized method of moments (GMM) regression models were employed to attain the objectives of the study. The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant negative effect of sustainable entrepreneurship on unemployment; sustainable entrepreneurship has a positive significant effect on economic growth; and also, history and culture were found to have a significant impact on unemployment reduction and economic growth. However, language was found to have an insignificant influence between A&F countries suggesting that the ability of sustainable entrepreneurship to minimize the rate of unemployment and boost economic growth is generic irrespective of linguistic factors.

Followers, customers, or partners? Comparing conceptualisations of students as partners in Australian, Mainland Chinese, and Hong Kong universities

AbstractEngaging students as partners (SaP) is an approach promoting meaningful pedagogical relationships in higher education. Scholars have called for more culturally situated research on SaP that compares Anglophone countries with other contexts. In response, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study by interviewing 36 undergraduate students from Australia, Mainland China, and Hong Kong. Adopting the relational lens of SaP, the interviews focused on conceptualisations of pedagogical partnership, specifically learner–teacher identities and power dynamics. Through comparative and reflexive thematic analysis, we found that understandings of partnership in different contexts were influenced by broader cultural differences. The findings showed that the perception of SaP in Australia was consistent with the prevailing Western discourse, but the notion of SaP was adapted and re-shaped in Mainland China, and in Hong Kong, there were diverse interpretations of it. This study contributes to new understandings of the influence of specific sociocultural and policy variations in SaP practises through culturally situated and comparative research using theorisations of perpetual translation. We argue for future research to contribute collective insights and nuanced, diverse understandings that expand SaP as an approach to global scholarship.