Government Archives Research Articles

Post-Custodialism, Distributed Custody, and Big Data

This reflection piece describes the outcomes of a research project undertaken by the National Archives of Australia that aimed to gather information from other government archives and selected Australian government agencies about their approach to archiving and preserving large-big datasets in the government sector. Big data collections pose a challenge for government archives around the world. Many of these archives have a role in information management in their government domains and provide guidance and advice to their government agency clients on ensuring the integrity and trustworthiness of data over time. The article examines the nexus between theory and practice, exploring issues related to the post-custodial ideas developed by Terry Cook and others in the 1990s and their practical implementation.

Navalist blues: a short history of Turkey’s unorthodox navy leagues (1909–2021)

ABSTRACT This study tracks the shifts in Turkish pro-navalism by writing a short history of the Ottoman and Turkish navy leagues from 1909 to 2021. By studying the continuities and differences between these organisations, this paper makes two key arguments. Firstly, although the Ottoman and later Turkish navy leagues were similar to the ones found elsewhere, they differed with their primary focus being raising funds for naval rearmament projects. Secondly, the appearance of these navy leagues in the Turkish context coincides with periods of increased hostility in between Greece and the Ottoman Empire/Turkey. Periods of “thaw,” however, precluded a Turkish navy league of any sort. This suggests that Turkish pro-navalism and thus state tolerance for openly navalist organisations ebbed and flowed based on the country’s relationship with its Western neighbour. Aside from the scholarship at hand, this study uses documents from both Turkish and American governmental archives to make its case.

Strategic ambiguity and chemical warfare in Ukraine

Abstract This article revisits the concept of strategic ambiguity to identify and critically assess the overlooked role of international norms. Addressing a significant gap within the existing analysis of strategic ambiguity which fails to fully explain the role of norms, the article demonstrates how international norms construct and function within deliberately ambiguous foreign policy as the normative exploitation of epistemic ambiguity. Yet the article further reveals that strategic ambiguity is then systemically dependent on a precarious overreliance on epistemic ambiguity; this comprises a highly fragile policy framework which is excessively vulnerable to change. The article applies this innovative retheorization to an empirical case-study: United States foreign policy concerning the alleged Russian chemical warfare strategy in Ukraine. This analysis is based on an original and comparative discursive analysis of US administration and institutional public statements drawn primarily from government archives. The new analysis a) identifies US policy as strategic ambiguity and explains the strategy's motivations and perceived benefits; b) shows how an international norm (the chemical weapons taboo) was employed to enact an ambiguous foreign policy; but also, c) demonstrates the intrinsic fragility and potential collapse of this strategic ambiguity as a consequence of normative dynamics.

Building a National Army: The Paradoxes of Civil–Military Relations in Ethiopia

The nature of civil–military relations in postconflict states where rebel groups won a civil war and built the national army anew is underappreciated and undertheorized. Drawing from a comprehensive analysis of Ethiopia’s experience of building a national army from 1991 to 2018 as a case study, this article attempts to fill this gap. The article argues that the rebel-origin of the regime and the army, the ideology underpinning the regime, and its aspiration to emerge as a hegemonic political force determine the nature of civil–military relations in a postconflict state where the rebel won the war. The article adopts a qualitative case study methodology and relies on data collected through key-informant interviews, government archives, and extensive survey of the state-owned daily newspaper, Addis Zemen. The article contributes to the body of knowledge on civil–military relations in postconflict states in general, and the study of civil–military relations in Africa in particular.

Changing diasporic identity and increasing global backlash: the Xi government’s tactics and challenges of engaging new generation overseas Chinese

ABSTRACT The transnational engagement between the Chinese communist government and first-generation overseas Chinese has been analysed extensively, but the academic analysis of interactions between the Chinese communist government under Xi Jinping and new generation overseas Chinese is scarce. Questions arise regarding how the rise of new generation overseas Chinese has changed the diasporic identity of the overseas Chinese community; what the Xi government’s tactics of engaging new generation overseas Chinese are; and how new generation overseas Chinese respond to the Xi government’s targeted campaign. By answering these questions, this article provides an important case study for the emerging scholarship on the relations between authoritarian states and new generation diasporas. Building on government archives, ethnographic interviews, media reports, and online and offline diaspora events, this article analyses the Xi government’s tactics and challenges of diaspora engagement targeting new generation overseas Chinese, and forecasts an uphill battle for the Xi government.

Dinamika Pembangunan Pendidikan Umum Dasar dan Menengah Kota Pekalongan di Era Orde Baru

In history, quantitative development data can be used as important data in building a historiography. This article aims to reconstruct the history of general education development by utilizing quantitative data in Pekalongan City during the Pelita V era (1989-1994). Pekalongan City itself is an important city that was once the capital of the Pekalongan Residency which was projected as a trading city where the educational aspect was important to build. This article was written using the historical method with stages of heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The main data source is statistical data obtained from Pekalongan report data in figures issued by BPS, as well as government policy archives stored at the City Government Archives Office. The data obtained was then analyzed using a development history approach from a development politics perspective. Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that the condition of general education at the primary and secondary levels in Pekalongan City in Pelita V, seen from the aspect of the number of schools, teachers and students, generally experienced fluctuations/dynamics. In this case, the development of general education at the primary level at PELITA V in Pekalongan City is going well, even though there is inequality. At the secondary level, both junior and senior educational development tends to be stagnant

The Role of Universities in Pioneering Halal Product Innovation and Education in Indonesia

As the global halal market continues to expand, the role of educational institutions in fostering sector growth becomes increasingly crucial. This systematic literature review investigates the role of Indonesian universities in driving halal product innovation and education, which is essential in a country with the largest Muslim demographic worldwide. The review synthesizes findings from diverse scholarly articles, including peer-reviewed journals and government reports, published between 2015 and 2023, to present a comprehensive overview of how higher education institutions contribute to the halal sector's growth. It focuses on areas such as curriculum development, research initiatives, industry-academia collaboration, and the impact of these activities on the halal market. The methodology includes a rigorous selection process, adhering to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and leveraging databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and governmental archives, ensuring the analysis's relevance and depth. Key themes emerge, such as the integration of halal standards in academic programs, the role of universities in halal certification processes, and the incubation of halal product startups within university environments. The review also identifies gaps in existing research, notably in the quantification of universities' contributions to the halal market and the long-term outcomes of halal-focused education. Finally, the paper suggests areas for future research, including the need for longitudinal studies to assess the sustained impact of higher education on the halal industry's evolution in Indonesia and globally. This review provides policymakers with a framework for supporting academic programs that align with industry needs, thereby enhancing the national economy in Indonesia. It also offers valuable insights for academics and industry practitioners aiming to leverage educational institutions to foster innovation in the halal product sector.

Management Audit of the Financial Functions at the Inspectorate Office of South Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

The purpose of this research is to determine the management audit of the financial function at the Regional Inspectorate Office of South Konawe Regency. The data used in this research was secondary data. Primary data is data that comes from direct research objects, this data was obtained by conducting interviews and direct observation or asking questions to the head of the government sector concerned. Secondary data is data sourced from research objects that have been processed in the form of documents or government archives related to this research. The analysis technique used in this research was descriptive qualitative. In conclusion, the management audit of the financial function of the South Konawe Regency Inspectorate Office has not been carried out efficiently and effectively. This is due to weak planning, implementation, and management control systems in the financial sector. Financial functions must run effectively and efficiently to meet standards, whereas those implemented in government did not reach the standard and did not run efficiently and effectively.

What is Manumission? A Manumittee-Centric Model of the Manumission Process in Eighteenth-Century Surinam

Manumission is the release from slavery, and therefore, a transition from the most extreme form of subjugation into another position and status in society. Some historians have defined manumission as a formal act, often understood as a gift that severed the bond between slave and master. More recently researchers have emphasized that it was a lengthy process that involved pre-existing dependencies and resulted in new hierarchies. This article takes a fresh look at the process and tries to gain a fuller understanding of manumission by examining it from the position of the manumitted and their social relations.Taking into consideration a wide range of documentary sources from colonial, notarial and Dutch governmental archives, we reconstruct the dependencies that were created in the process of manumission. The dependencies that evolved during manumission processes were related to family and other kinship ties, but also had an urban, communal, religious, economic and institutional logic. Manumission was not only an act at a specific moment, but also a process, and it was not a bilateral, but a multilateral one. With the instrument of manumission and within the limits set by economic reality and the colonial government, the manumittees tried to make meaningful life choices that transformed slave society profoundly. We find that they created complex dependencies across boundaries of status and racial categorization.

Komparasi Konsep Penciptaan Tempat dan Keterikatan Desa Kota Studi Kasus Kota Denpasar

This study aims to compare the concept of place creation and place attachment in Denpasar City, Bali. In the context of rapid urbanization, urban development is becoming increasingly important in maintaining cultural identity and environmental sustainability. The main problem in this study is the difference in understanding and implementation of the concept of place creation and the level of place attachment by communities that focus on rural and urban urbanization. The urgency of the research lies in the need to understand Denpasar City as a center of cultural and tourism activities, blending urban growth with cultural and environmental preservation. The analysis was carried out on a review of government archives in the form of narratives, observations of service use, purchase of goods and vehicle movements, as well as examination of physical and spatial components. The results showed variations in people's perceptions of the concept of place creation, focusing on cultural and environmental preservation. In addition, the degree of attachment to places is related to the active participation of the community in the preservation of the cultural and environmental heritage of the city. This research reveals the importance of integrating people's aspirations in urban planning as well as promoting cultural and environmental sustainability as an integral part of the development of a better Denpasar City.

Just Transition in Biofuel Development towards Low-Carbon Economy: Multi-Actor Perspectives on Policies and Practices in Indonesia

Justice and sustainability are the foundation of fair and equitable biofuel development. Policies and practices are consequently necessary to support a just transition towards a low-carbon economy. Therefore, this study aimed to understand multi-actor perspectives on policies and practices relevant to the just transition in biofuel development. Applying a socio-legal approach based on the JUST framework, this study focused on the Indonesian biofuel industry, which is primarily driven by crude palm oil (CPO) production. This study also added comparative perspectives from Thailand’s biofuel industry. The primary data were gathered from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs), while the secondary data were from research, policy, and other government archives. Based on the results, oil palm plantations in Indonesia and Thailand are crucial for macroeconomic development. However, smallholder farmers in Indonesia, especially independent ones that do not join farmer groups, remain marginalised by the current regulations. In fact, many benefits from biofuel practices and policies accumulate disproportionately towards large corporations, while marginalised groups bear the costs. The Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification that should induce market accessibility and competitiveness has not fully reached most rural farmers. Furthermore, various overlapping regulations and perplexing data differences exist from multiple ministries and administrative levels. Thus, palm oil stakeholders in Indonesia demand a dedicated institution for integrated regulation and monitoring of the industry, similar to the National Palm Oil Policy Committee in Thailand. The myriad of legal, political, socio-economic, and justice issues thus necessitates all hands on deck to ensure a just transition for all stakeholders of the Indonesian biofuel industry.

Analyzing Linguistic Shifts in Political Discourse: A Corpus-Based Study of Political Rhetoric in the Digital Age

The present era is the era of digitalization which has profoundly impacted the different segments of the society. Hence, the present research was conducted to explore the linguistic shifts in the political discourse in the digital mass communication era. This study gathered data from reputable news sites, social media platforms, government archives, and academic libraries. Employing a stratified random sample technique ensured a diverse dataset, encompassing texts from varied political affiliations, historical periods, speeches, tweets, and articles. Rigorous preparation methods, such as data cleaning, standardization, and tokenization, were applied to enhance the study's consistency and reliability. The linguistic analysis investigated numerous linguistic elements, including vocabulary richness, sentence structure, sentiment, and the use of rhetorical techniques in political discourse. The findings highlight the diverse implications of linguistic shifts in the digital age, spanning emotional tone, information credibility, misinformation proliferation, and nuances of political polarization. As the digital age continues to shape political speech, the conclusions e the critical need for political communicators to strike a delicate balance between linguistic simplicity and discursive richness. Keywords: linguistics shifts, political discourse, corpus, political rhetoric, digital age, linguistic analysis, sentiment analysis, impact analysis, content analysis.

Robust Digital Watermarking on Vital Archives using Hybrid SVD and DWT Methods

The development of Internet technology affects the dissemination of data, especially in vital government archives. This research uses a hybrid singular value decomposition (SVD) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) method, which aims to protect the copyright of vital archives. The stages of the insertion and extraction process are carried out to test the effect of the alpha value on the quality (imperceptibility) and robustness of the inserted image by measuring the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), verifying similarity by measuring the Normalized Cross-Correlation (NC) and Structural Similarity Index (SSIM). The results of research with ten vital archives and a watermark protection logo in JPEG format with a size of 512x512 pixels obtained a maximum PSNR with a value of α = 0.01 of 41.0567 dB, NC of 0.98904, and SSIM of 0.98023 in the Cibereum Land Certificate. So, it can be proven that this method produces vital archive watermarks that can be extracted and are robust to JPEG compression attacks of 75%, median filtering 3x3, Gaussian noise 0.01, speckle noise 0.01, and salt and pepper noise 0.01 but not resistant to rotation 80 and cropping attacks 2%.

Sistem Penyimpanan Arsip Pada Sekretariat Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah Provinsi Sumatera Barat

An archive storage system is a system used for document storage to make it easier to store and quickly find documents that have been stored if needed at any time. Proper storage of government archives is very necessary to maintain and preserve documents so they can be used and found again in the future. Some of the obstacles faced by the Administration and Personnel Subdivision of the West Sumatra Province Regional People's Representative Council Secretariat in managing incoming and outgoing letters is that it takes quite a long time to search for certain letters. The research method used is data collection through observation . Archives at the Secretariat of the Regional People's Representative Council of West Sumatra Province are stored in a filing cabinet, this functions to save archive storage space.

Balancing Economic Sustainability with Densification: A Case Study of Dhaka

Economically sustainable urban residential neighborhoods are characterized by adequate provision of physical infrastructure including transport facilities and utility services. The built urban fabric of residential areas of Dhaka has been undergoing densification operation over the past decades without considering the physical infrastructure capacity of these areas in terms of accessibility and provision of transportation and utility services. This intervention eventually exerted pressure on the existing infrastructure and caused negative externalities like traffic congestion, pollution, and water clogging. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the impact of densification on residential areas of Dhaka through the lens of economic sustainability. Seven residential areas from Old and New Dhaka that underwent various degreesof densification were selected as the study areas. Primary data was collected through a random sampling household questionnaire survey, fieldwork, and informal qualitative interviews with the residents and officials. Various published literature, newspaper articles, plans, and reports from government archives, Capital Development Authority (RAJUK), Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) provided the secondary data. The analysis is carried out in two parts. In the firstpart the impact of densification on accessibility to transportation facilities and utility services is analyzed in terms of availability of the services, distance to the bus stops, average travel time, modal choice, and residents’ satisfaction level. The second part explores the relationship between density and aspects of economic sustainability through Pearson’s correlation test. The findings revealed that public transportation is more accessible in lower-density areas than the higher-density residential areas owing to the road network pattern. A significant service delivery gap except for water supply was observed regarding the provision and quality of gas, electricity, sewerage, and garbage disposal services across all the study areas. Overall, density was found to have a negative association with the accessibility to physical infrastructures indicating that high-density residential areas of Dhaka do not have increased access to public transport and utility services which is contrary to the expected benefits of high-density living. A comprehensive density planning with an integrated sustainable transport plan needs to be formulated where viable public transport like Bus Rapid Transit (BRTs) systems and waterways may mitigate the situation from further worsening.

No escape from the No.10. bunker? UK government news management under siege: John Major (1990–97) and Boris Johnson (2019–2022)

PurposeThis study draws parallels between the Major and Johnson eras to reclaim a discursive space beyond the media and political battlefields to examine long-term systemic failure of government PR.Design/methodology/approachAs part of a wider study into government communications from 1979 to date, this paper draws on evidence from government archives from the 1990s, as well as contemporary accounts, official documents, media accounts, memoirs and biographies, to examine the PR record of two Conservative administrations divided by three decades.FindingsNews management during the Major premiership is worth serious scrutiny, not just as an interlude between two media-friendly Prime Ministers, Thatcher and Blair, but in comparison to Boris Johnson's struggle to contain the news narrative between 2019 and 2022. Both administrations experienced terminal reputational crises during their closing years but their means of managing the news were counter-productive and damaging to public trust (65).Practical implicationsDoes this failure in public communication illustrate a systemic dysfunction in government-media relations and, if so, what is the role of government PR in these circumstances?Originality/valueThis article uses a comparison between fixed and moving variables associated with two very different administrations to identify the causes of ongoing systemic failure in government communication.

Government modernisation of the 'old' pharmaceutical business (2008-2011). Report 1. Threats and security

This series of articles analyses the drug safety policy of the Russian Federation. The first report reveals the reasons behind the government's dramatic turnaround in the pharmaceutical market and pharmaceutical industry, which emerged in 2007-2008. Based on publications, author interviews and unique protocol documents from the government archive, the logic and sequence of a new regulatory agreement between the pharmaceutical business and the Russian state are revealed.

Revitalization and Development of Cultural Heritage Tourism in Gresik Old City

Together with old cities in Southeast Asia, Gresik is a city visited by many world traders in the 15th century. Some of the old cities have been transformed into tourist areas, while those in Gresik have not yet been realized. This study aims to analyze the government's efforts to revitalize cultural heritage and its use as a tourist attraction in the old town of Gresik. This study uses a qualitative method with a critical descriptive approach with interpretive analysis. Research data were obtained from government archives, library sources in the form of books and scientific articles, interviews with stakeholders in the Gresik old town area. After the data is collected, the research is continued with the process of data analysis using a qualitative interpretive analysis approach. The results of this study can be concluded that activities related to preservation, revitalization and utilization of cultural heritage in the old city of Gresik have not been maximized. This can be seen from the efforts to identify and determine cultural heritage that have not been completed; spatial planning of cities in historical areas still leaves many differences of opinion; and regulations regarding tourism planning in the old city of Gresik do not yet exist. The solution that can be done is to involve the community who owns ancient buildings from data collection to tourism management, so that the tourism that is developed can be sustainable.

Steven Miles. Opportunity in Crisis: Cantonese Migrants and the State in Late Qing China.

Opportunity in Crisis: Cantonese Migrants and the State in Late Qing China is the second of two books written by Steven Miles to document the under-explored history of Cantonese diaspora moving along the West River into Guangxi in late imperial China. In these works, Miles advocates for understanding Cantonese diaspora in a truly global context by achieving a holistic view of their experiences in both domestic and overseas destinations. With rich individual stories, the book continues chronologically from the first book, Upriver Journeys: Diaspora and Empire in Southern China 1570–1850 (2017), and highlights the movements of Cantonese migrants who rode on currents amidst the regional and national crises in the second half of the nineteenth century to advance their statuses and transform the social, economic, and cultural landscapes of Guangxi. The book presents exemplary historical research of a highly mobile population lacking systematic records. By meticulously identifying and linking individuals across myriad sources—government archives, gazetteers, genealogies, the list of donors inscribed in stelae erected in huiguan (native-place associations) and temples in the market towns along the West River, and anthologies, to name a few—Miles brings to light the life stories of numerous migrants with varying social backgrounds. The work makes a significant contribution to the fields of migration studies, the social history of southern China, and the Qing Empire in the nineteenth century.

The Academic Enclosure of American Archivist

ABSTRACT American Archivist is the oldest journal of the US archival profession. In its first several decades of publication, a wide variety existed among the institutional affiliations of American Archivist contributors. Since the 1990s, articles authored by archivists within higher education have almost completely eclipsed articles authored by archivists from other sectors, particularly government archivists. This “academic enclosure” of American Archivist has significant ramifications for the quality and richness of our professional discourse. This is the first article to track institutional affiliations of American Archivist research article authors across nearly the entirety of the journal's publication history. The author examined the institutional affiliation of a data set of 1,799 articles printed in American Archivist from the journal's inception in 1938 through 2019. This article contextualizes the trends in institutional affiliations by reviewing the editorial policies of the journal over its eighty-year run.