Political Background Research Articles

AТЕНТАТ НА МИЛАНА СТОЈАДИНОВИЋА 1936. ГОДИНЕ: СЛОМ И ВАСКРС ЈУГОСЛОВЕНСКЕ НАЦИОНАЛНЕ СТРАНКЕ

This article aims to shed light on the political background and consequences of the attempted assassination of the President of the Yugoslav Government, Milan Stojadinović, by MP Damjan Arnautović. Special attention will be devoted to the influence that this event had on the further fate and development of the Yugoslav National Party. Arnautović’s act represented the culmination of several months of conflicts and behind-the-scenes battles tha accompanied the liquidation of the monarchical dictatorship regime and the strengthening of the new ruling group gathered around the Yugoslav Radical Union. The paper shows both sides of this political reckoning and gives enough space to future researchers, who may shed a different light on the event of 6 March 1936.

From Survivalism to Rooted Cosmopolitanism: Transformations of a Chinese Voluntary Association in New Zealand

ABSTRACT Drawing on ethnographic and archival research, this paper investigates the response of a Chinese voluntary association in New Zealand to demographic changes in the national Chinese community since the 1990s. The Chinese Community Association developed from the closed-off and inward-facing Chinese community of New Zealand – the “old Chinese” whose ancestors arrived from rural Cantonese-speaking counties in Guangdong in the 1860s. Immigration law changes in 1989 brought new communities speaking different languages, with different political, social and economic backgrounds into New Zealand, creating new diversification to what it means to be a Chinese New Zealander. This paper investigates how this “old Chinese” association has adapted to “new” Chinese groups. We argue that a unique “rooted cosmopolitanism” has developed in this association, where local practices and resources have enabled it to manage potential tensions and growing pains of serving diverse groups in the current multi-ethnic context of New Zealand.

REPRESENTATION OF THE STRATEGY OF INTERCEPTION BY PITCH VARIATIONS IN POLITICAL DEBATES

The political future of debating candidates is often shaped by the degree of credibility based on argumentative strategies. Today, political argumentation has gained particular relevance, especially due to its psychological impact on voters. In political debates, opponents who possess different political backgrounds employ diverse linguistic and prosodic styles. Through linguistic analysis of selected audio and video materials, we identified several linguistic methods that achieve the objectives of divertissement, competitiveness and personification in political debates, which are the main characteristics of this type of political discourse. The differences between ordinary utterances, remark-utterances, simple overlays of remarks, role exchanges and intentional interruptions are also considered as manipulative means, as we argue that these are deliberate and determined by the speakers’ communicative strategies. We focus particularly on the dialogic nature of televised debates, which in this type of political discourse operates on two-levels: “politician – opponent”, and “politician – audience”. Participants in televised debates use various argumentative strategies to influence both their opponents and voters, often deliberately aiming to discredit their opponents and create a contrasting background for manipulation. For this analysis, we focused on the interception strategy, one of the most commonly used in political debates. In the paper, we examine the speech behavior of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as a tool to create their media portrait and personify their political programs. Thus, the article focuses on the strategy of interception and its prosodic realization by means of such non-verbal tools as pitch variations accompanied by deliberate interruptions, remarks, refutations and increasing volume of voice which contribute to argumentation in political debates. In other words, the paper aims at benefiting to identify the role of prosodic means in argumentative political debates. The research methodology involves the code biology approach by applying experimental phonetic and phonological methods. Our analysis reveals that prosody is crucial not only in shaping political discourse but also in reflecting politicians’ viewpoints. We tried to match prosody with argumentation, which contributes to synthesizing naturalness in political speeches. Interruptions disrupt the prosodic structure of the statement and conflict with phonetic signals of role switching, such as high/low pitch or terminal tone variations. Opponents convey confidence through pitch variations: the low pitch is an indicator of assertiveness and certainty, whereas the high pitch suggests uncertainty. High pitch occurs when the new information (rheme) is introduced, while low pitch reflects previously stated information (theme). High pitch can also be a strategy to express emotions or a tool to make the opponent give up and concede the role.

African Legislators: Unrepresentative Power Elites?

African legislators both resemble and differ from the societies they claim to represent in important ways. Based on a unique survey of representative samples of parliamentarians in 17 countries, we find that legislatures are representative of national publics in terms of ethnicity and religion. At the same time, compared to ordinary African citizens, African MPs possess far higher levels of education and are far more likely to be older, male and to come from professional or business backgrounds. Besides coming from higher social and economic status backgrounds, many MPs also previously held senior posts in the state and national government, or leadership positions in their political party. Does this mean that African legislators constitute a coherent, self-interested, social, economic and political ‘power elite’ detached from the interests of the voters? In the legislatures under investigation, we find little evidence of this effect. Markers of social, economic or political privilege and power overlap irregularly and in a non-cumulative way. For example, while MPs are significantly older than the average voter, we find that most African legislators are in their first term of office. Thus, far from comprising a slowly changing, cohesive and self-interested elite, characterised by overlapping and cumulative markers of social and political influence, Africa’s legislators come from a plurality of social and political backgrounds, and are relative legislative neophytes.

Freedom of Association in Nigeria: A Cacophony of Contestations

Abstract This article examines the protection and exercise of the right to freedom of association in Nigeria. It discusses the freedom in the context of its historical and political background. The article delineates the ambit of the freedom under the constitution and other relevant legal frameworks in Nigeria. It further examines the nexus between the right and customary norms. It looks at the approach of the Nigerian courts to the interpretation and application of the legal framework. It also examines the influence of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in the protection of the right in the country. In addition, the article examines how the legal framework for the right impacts trade unions and civil society organisations, especially in the light of attempts to restrict the freedom.

“A Place of Refuge to Republicans and Royalists”: The French Revolution in British Dominica

Abstract During the French Revolution, thousands of revolutionaries and royalists fled the turmoil in French islands. Many went to nearby islands, from which they could observe events. Situated between Martinique and Guadeloupe, Dominica had a majority French population and a long history of connection with its French neighbors. This article uses the case of Dominica to explore the effects of the French Revolution on a non-French island in the Eastern Caribbean. From the start, its proximity to the French islands led to its entanglement in revolutionary politics. It was the first British island to receive refugees, and the influx of people of all racial, social, and political backgrounds into Dominica posed challenges for island officials. Officials had to determine on what terms to admit emigrants, whether they posed a threat to the colony, and how to feed and house them. They also worried about the influences of foreigners and revolutionary ideas on their own disaffected free and enslaved populations. This article argues that Dominica's location, heterogeneous population, and internal instability allowed it to become a node for regional migration and information networks that embroiled it in the turmoil that engulfed its neighbors and ultimately threatened British control of the island.

Why Good Governance Implementation in the Post-Taliban Administration in Afghanistan Failed?

The article examines the obstacles and issues that led to good governance failure in Afghanistan in the past two decades. Afghanistan received considerable aid from the West in general and the USA in particular. Despite two decades of international community support, democracy and good governance were not institutionalised. Politics continues to be dominated by big money, goons and people with little background and training in informal politics. Power and authority were concentrated at the top echelons of government. Corruption has become so endemic that it has engulfed the entire society. President Karzai and President Ghani ethnicised the government and missed several opportunities to achieve democracy, good governance and economic growth in the past two decades. Lack of independence of the judiciary, accountability and transparency in the affairs of the State is a significant impediment to good governance implementation. The human rights situation remains unsatisfactory. One of the pressing problems of governance is the politicisation of the public bureaucracy, which adversely affects states performance. Notably, President Ghani failed to provide the country with a vision mission or to serve the nation with commitment and dedication. Bad leadership style led to the state collapse on 15 August 2021, as President Ghani fled the country and Taliban fighters captured the political power in Afghanistan.

Research on the Infiltration of Scientific Spirit in High School Biology Teaching Under the Background of Curriculum Ideology and Politics

Curriculum thinking and politics is an exploration of moral education reform and a strategic measure to carry out the fundamental task of cultivating people. High school is a key period for students to form correct values. In addition to ideological and political courses, other courses also need to play the function of educating people, and take courses as the carrier to provide value guidance to students in the process of knowledge imparting and ability training. High school biology is a fundamental course in natural sciences and an important carrier for cultivating students’ scientific literacy. However, through questionnaire surveys and interviews at internship schools, it was found that the infiltration of scientific spirit into high school biology teaching is not ideal. Teachers have insufficient understanding of ideological and political education in the curriculum, and they cannot fully tap into educational materials in textbooks. The methods for infiltrating scientific spirit are relatively single, making it difficult to balance ideological and political infiltration with knowledge teaching. This article selects the scientific spirit as an ideological and political element based on the needs of national development and the characteristics of the discipline, and permeates it into biology teaching. Finally, the teaching effectiveness is evaluated through various methods. The aim is to enrich the theoretical research of thinking and politics in senior biology curriculum, and to provide teaching reference for teachers to cultivate students’ scientific spirit in biology teaching. After conducting questionnaire surveys and interviews with students and teachers, the following conclusions were drawn: firstly, although the teachers and students of the school have a limited understanding of ideological and political education in the curriculum, most of them support the integration of ideological and political education into biology teaching. Secondly, some teachers still place more emphasis on imparting knowledge in their teaching and have not fully utilized the educational value of biology. The implementation of ideological and political education in biology teaching is not ideal. Thirdly, overall, the penetration of scientific spirit in biology teaching is not satisfactory and needs further strengthening. In summary, teachers need to strengthen their exploration of textbooks and deepen their understanding of teaching design in their daily teaching process, in order to continuously improve their ideological and political education for students and fully leverage the educational value of biology. Integrating scientific spirit into biology teaching is not only in line with the ideological and political concepts of the curriculum, but also in line with the core competencies of the discipline, which can better leverage the educational value of biology.

The formation of the Arab Liberation Army (ALA) for the 1948 Palestine war

ABSTRACT This article discusses the political background of the formation of the Arab Liberation Army (ALA) as a corollary of the Arab League’s inability to adopt a unified response to the November 1947 UN Partition Resolution. From its inception, ALA was never intended to help the Palestinian Arabs but to serve the goals of the Arab leaders, especially those of Syrian President Shukri Quwatli who sought to thwart Transjordan’s King Abdullah’s ‘Greater Syria’ scheme. This was the reason why the Arab leaders failed to involve the Palestinian Arabs in ALA’s formation and war operations, or to consult their leader, the former Jerusalem Mufti Hajj Amin Husseini, when deciding upon the appointment of ALA commander.

Influence of Planning on Implementation of Inclusive Education in Regular Primary Schools in Samia Sub-County, Kenya

Inclusive schooling is defined as the practice of including everyone irrespective of talent, disability, socio – economic background or cultural origin in supportive regular schools, classrooms where all students’ needs are met (Stainback and Stainback, 2000). This study focuses attention on the influence of planning on implementation of inclusive education in the regular primary schools in Samia District. The researcher used descriptive research. The study utilized a sample of forty-nine (49) teachers who are in the four schools practicing inclusive education. The researcher used simple random sampling for sampling the population. Each and every member had an equal and independent opportunity in the selection, (Kombo and Tromp, 2006). The four schools practicing inclusive Education in the District were included. The schools shared similar socio-economic, political and cultural background. Pilot study was done in a school outside the district because of the fewer schools practicing inclusive education in the district. An interview schedule for the teachers in charge, questionnaires for the head-teachers, different questionnaire for the regular teacher population and another questionnaire for teachers in the units were administered. Observation schedule was also carried out. Findings in the study indicated that the regular teachers were not trained to handle learners with Special needs. The government has tried to provide teaching/learning resources to the regular learners but not provided for learners with special needs for example Braille. Schools were not constructed to favour learners with special needs since there were no facilities like adopted toilets, ramps and the like. Most children identified to these schools are intellectually challenged and a few from other categories. The research recommends that every regular teacher should be trained to handle children with special needs for proper accommodation in schools, availability of adequate facilities and all-round personnel to carter for the diversity such as medical personnel, community at large should be sensitized on the values of accommodation of the diversity. Finally, the research recommends that before implementation of inclusive education can be emphasized, there should be effective planning since it is a powerful weapon in any educational system

Political leader's background and innovation in developing countries

Studies of innovations in developing countries remain mitigated. Those that have tackled the quest for determinants have been limited to the profiles of business leaders, thus neglecting those of presidents. Yet they are the main drivers of their countries' economic policies. In order to overcome this shortcoming, this article aims to verify, in the light of the political leader theory, the effect of the profile of national leaders on innovation indicators. We formulate the following hypothesis: the preferences of political leaders are defined by their background. We test this hypothesis on a panel of 48 developing countries, covering the period from 1995 to 2018, using the GMM estimation. Results indicate that militaries spend more on R&D than other professions and enhance patent demands, while political horizon hinders innovations. The robustness of the results is verified by using other innovation indicators, in particular domestic patent applications, foreign applications, and the political regime. This article contributes to the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal 9 by providing a new tool for policy‐makers to rely on.

The Role of Education in Economic Development: A Comparative Study of Nigeria and Kenya.

Education is a transforming factor in economic growth because it gives people the information and skills that spur innovation, productivity, and general social advancement. Two of the biggest economies in Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, have made considerable changes to their educational institutions to promote economic expansion. But even with these reforms, obstacles including poor infrastructure, restricted access, and insufficient government money still stand in the way of development. This study examines how education affects economic growth in Kenya and Nigeria, paying particular attention to how the distinct political, cultural, and historical backgrounds of each nation affect educational achievements. This study highlights opportunities for improvement while identifying important educational policies and initiatives that have successfully supported economic growth through a comparative analysis. It considers the larger implications of education as an instrument for national transformation, drawing on theological viewpoints, and makes the case that real growth must be in line with moral and ethical principles. In the end, the research suggests a more integrated strategy, stressing that education may act as a catalyst for long-term, sustainable economic growth when it is in line with spiritual principles.

How does vertical fiscal imbalance affect corporate green innovation? Empirical evidence from China

The vertical fiscal imbalance of local governments under the Chinese-style decentralization system affects enterprise decision-making in their jurisdiction. Using the data of A-share listed enterprises in Shanghai and Shenzhen, this paper finds that vertical fiscal imbalance can promote enterprises' green innovation. The analysis of the mechanism of action reveals that the vertical fiscal imbalance positively impacts enterprises' green innovation through tax reduction and government R&D subsidies. In contrast, vertical fiscal imbalance's loss of human capital is a negative channel affecting green innovation of enterprises. Further analysis reveals that the vertical fiscal imbalance has a threshold effect on green innovation; the political and environmental backgrounds of senior executives can significantly strengthen the vertical fiscal imbalance's promoting effect on green innovation activities; in addition, the vertical fiscal imbalance can improve the efficiency and quality of green innovation by enterprises. The research findings are significant for further deepening the fiscal reform and encouraging enterprises to achieve green, high-quality enterprise development.

Racial Minorities Face Discrimination From Across the Political Spectrum When Seeking to Form Ties on Social Media: Evidence From a Field Experiment

We conducted a preregistered field experiment examining racial discrimination in tie formation on social media. We randomly assigned research accounts varying on race (Black, White) and politics (liberal/Democrat, conservative/Republican, neutral) to follow a politically balanced sample of Twitter (i.e., X) users (N = 5,951) who were unaware they were in a research study. We examined three predictions from the social and political psychology literatures: i) individuals favor White over Black targets, ii) this tendency is stronger for conservatives/Republicans than for liberals/Democrats, and iii) greater discrimination by conservatives/Republicans is explained by the assumption that racial minorities are liberal/Democrat. We found evidence that individuals were less likely to reciprocate social ties with Black accounts than White accounts. However, this tendency was not moderated by individuals’ political orientation, shared partisanship, or partisan mismatch. In sum, this work provides field experimental evidence for racial discrimination in tie formation on social media by individuals across political backgrounds.

A Systemic Functional Linguistic Analysis of Mood Structures in News Coverage of Anies Baswedan’s Speech During Presidential Election Debates in The Jakarta Post and TEMPO.CO

The purpose of this study is to use Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics viewpoint to uncover the interpersonal meanings that are realized in five selected news articles from The Jakarta Post and TEMPO.CO. This study employed a qualitative method. The data source is two articles from The Jakarta Post and three articles from TEMPO.CO, all under the categories of the 2024 presidential election debate. The data were collected through textual analysis and close reading techniques. The results of this research are as follows: (1) The declarative mood is frequently used across all five articles with 97% for TJP and 99% for TC. The sentences are mostly realized by temporal deicticity, while modality appears in small percentages. (2) Both TJP and TC potray Anies Baswedan positively but with different emphases. TJP highlights Baswedan’s personal attributes and political background. TC emphasizes Baswedan’s political expertise and policy proposals. This distinction in focus reflects the different strategies employed by TJP and TC to shape public perception during the election period. TJP and TC employ similar tenor patterns where they position themselves as equals to their readers and conveying a positive tone in their interactions.

Research on the Optimization Paths for Outstanding Agricultural Economics and Management Talents under the Background of Curriculum Ideology and Politics

The article aims to discuss how to cultivate outstanding agricultural economics and management talents to meet the needs of agricultural and rural economic development in the new era, within the context of ideological and political education. Through literature review and field research, a series of innovative talent training optimization paths are proposed, and specific suggestions are made for policymakers and educational practitioners.

『大觀茶論』 ‘序’에 나타난 徽宗의 茶文化觀

『DaeGwan Tea Theory』 consists of one chapter of the ‘Introduction’ and 20 chapters of the ‘Main Text’, and is a representative tea book of the Northern Song Dynasty that shows comprehensive tea affairs on Huizong’s intuitive and practical ‘DaeGwan Tea Theory’. Huizong’s tea ceremony was both useful and popular, and “During the Song Dynasty, tea ceremony was popular from the court to the common people, and with the popular response.” Huizong’s unexpected ascension to the throne was certainly a special event for the Song court and Huizong Zhaoji. A young, multi-talented royal family member recorded all the tea ceremony of the tea ceremony with his ignorance of governance and his genius and artistic talent as a literati. His tea ceremony was specific and detailed, and he fully revealed his political intentions toward the people in the preface of the 『DaeGwan Tea Theory』. In this paper, we understand the political background of the late Northern Song Dynasty and the life of Emperor Huizong, and study the social bonds that the multiculturalism of the Northern Song Dynasty has had on the globalization of tea ceremony in the present era

Diversity in Civic Engagement: Political Priorities and Protest Behavior of Arizona College Students

A core function of higher education is to prepare students to be active and informed citizens who are prepared to make sustained contributions to civic life and democratic society. However, past research on college student civic engagement has disproportionately focused on students at traditional 4-year universities and on a narrow range of political activities. In this study, we analyzed online survey data ( N = 1,159) collected before the 2020 presidential election from young adults throughout Arizona who were attending 2-year and 4-year postsecondary institutions. Results show significant differences between community college, transfer and university students in terms of political identities, background characteristics, and participation in Black Lives Matter protests. Yet, across these postsecondary pathways, young adults expressed a strong commitment to active citizenship and ranked combating climate change and dismantling systemic racism as top political priorities. We call for more research on underserved students’ political identities, outlooks, and behaviors as part of a broader and more inclusive conceptualization of civic engagement.

Understanding the political connections of Portuguese companies through their board members

PurposeThis study aims to analyse the political connections of Portuguese companies through the members of the board of directors, exploring how these connections influence, in particular, the composition and characteristics of the boards.Design/methodology/approachThe research used a strategy based on analysing the financial statements and curriculum vitae of the directors of Portuguese companies listed on Euronext Lisbon from 2014 to 2019. The political connections of board members were examined, considering the variables identified in the existing literature.FindingsThe results indicate that companies with political connections maintain these relationships for long periods and have a greater number of members on the board of directors compared to companies without such connections. Directors with political experience tend to occupy non-executive positions, suggesting that companies may value political contacts more than the management skills of these directors. It was also found that there are politically connected directors who belong to multiple boards and that women appointed to the board are less likely to have a political background, reflecting male dominance in Portuguese politics.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitations of this study include the small number of listed companies in the sample, which may affect the statistical robustness of the results, as well as the use of secondary sources, which may not capture all relevant policy linkages. In addition, the results are specific to the Portuguese context and may not be generalisable to other countries or other regions of the world.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the understanding of political connections in Portuguese companies, offering valuable insights into how these connections influence board composition and can impact corporate strategy and governance. The findings of this study can be especially useful for business leaders looking to optimise the formation of their boards of directors.

An Opera of Convenience: Musical Diplomacy and Nationalist Politics at the Barcelona Premiere of Amaya in 1934

ABSTRACT This article analyses the political background surrounding the 1934 Barcelona premiere of the opera Amaya (1920) by the Basque composer Jesús Guridi (1886–1961). During the Second Spanish Republic, amid escalating political tensions between Basque and Catalan nationalist parties and the central government in Madrid, the premiere of Amaya at the Gran Teatre del Liceu presents significant points for historiographical discussion. By interpreting the interactions between Basque and Catalan nationalists as diplomatic exchanges, this essay assesses the role conferred on musical practices in fostering solidarity and self-legitimation among sub-state actors. Drawing on archival documentation and press sources, this study provides a detailed overview of the internal mechanisms that facilitated the premiere of Amaya, with a particular focus on the strategies employed by sub-state agents to garner public recognition, musical agency, and political legitimacy.