This article presents a theory-informed analytical perspective, with structured empirical anchoring in secondary data and documented election-cycle evidence (2019 and 2024) from the Indonesian case. It argues that social media platforms have created new arenas of political communication where citizens engage directly with leaders, share perspectives, and mobilize around issues. While these developments expand participation, they expose democracy to challenges such as disinformation, polarization, and unequal access. The discussion is anchored in three main perspectives. First, the public sphere emphasizes the importance of open, rational dialogue, highlighting the opportunities and risks of online political discourse. Second, the network society framework explains how digital connectivity empowers civic actors and enables manipulation and echo chambers. Third, the emerging concept of digital cognitive democracy, or d-cognocracy, points toward innovative models where technology enhances deliberation, knowledge-sharing, and policy decision-making.

This article explores the social, educational, and participatory practices during the revolutionary period in Portugal (1974-1976), a historical moment marked by a combination of political rupture and grassroots mobilisation. By focusing on four key initiatives – agrarian reform, popular education, the MFA’s Cultural Dynamization and Civic Action Campaign, and the Student Civic Service – this study sheds light on the diversity of popular educational experiences and social transformation movements of the time. It analyses how education and civic engagement were conceived and employed as tools for societal transformation. The results show that, during the revolutionary period, civil society, previously repressed under the dictatorship, played a crucial role in the democratisation of education. They also highlight the significant contribution of the popular classes and of popular education in the broader transformation of Portuguese society.

Background: Research has highlighted the value of centering student voices and agency in classroom contexts, yet few curricula explicitly foreground critical agency in their design. This qualitative case study examines how students enact agency within an integrated curriculum that combines computer science, social studies, and Indian Education for All (IEFA) standards. The unit focused on tribal sovereignty and why treaties still matter for indigenous people today, enabling students to connect their lived experiences to broader sociopolitical contexts. Data were collected through classroom observations, student and teacher interviews, and student artifacts. Results: Analysis revealed that students performed agency in three interrelated ways: as experts, investigators, and advocates. In the expert role, students demonstrated mastery of content, research, and computational skills; as investigators, they engaged in inquiry-based exploration of food accessibility issues; and as advocates, they positioned themselves as agents of social change. These findings suggest that integrated, student-centered curricula can cultivate critical agency, enhance computational and disciplinary learning, and promote social justice orientations. Conclusions: By centering student agency, social studies classrooms have the potential to become spaces where learners are co-contributors alongside the teacher and engage with social issues. The study provides empirical evidence for designing curricula and professional development that support student-led inquiry and action, preparing youth to participate democratically and take civic action.

This article offers a comprehensive review of scholarly literature on the relationship between online institutional communication and civic participation in education-related public policy. Drawing on 20 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2024, it identifies four thematic pillars: transparency and accountability; opportunities and inequalities in social-media participation; pedagogies for critical digital citizenship; and inclusive, arts-based or peer-led models of civic activation. Evidence from Romania, Indonesia, Spain, and South Africa shows that digital transparency improves access to information but does not guarantee meaningful engagement unless institutions adopt dialogic, value-driven communication practices. The article proposes a conceptual model linking communication styles, digital affordances, and pedagogical interventions to distinct forms of civic participation.

This study investigates the institutional hybridity and economic viability of rice straw-based paper production led by People’s Action For Liberative Agricultural Industry (PALAI), Inc. in Santo Niño, South Cotabato. Positioned as an emergent property of civil society, PALAI, Inc. is construed as a social enterprise that navigates the intersection of social mission and market discipline. The research objectives were as follows: (i) mapping the agricultural biogeography of South Cotabato; (ii) identifying the multi-sectoral interactions between government, market, and civic actors; and (iii) simulating profitability using stochastic modeling. To evaluate market viability, this study integrated an economic geography approach sourced from a secondary literature review with Ornstein-Uhlenbeck stochastic simulations. Historical data (1925-1986) on rice straw, sugarcane, abaca, and pineapple production costs, as well as consumer price indices, were analyzed using maximum likelihood estimation. The research modeled price dynamics to determine risk-adjusted profitability. The findings reveal an agricultural mosaic where rice serves as the provincial backbone, supported by industrialized sugarcane, large-scale pineapple operations, and cultural abaca agroforestry. As a hybrid institution, PALAI, Inc. functions as an institutional entrepreneur, using strategic pricing (PhP 20–40) to internalize social and environmental externalities. This approach, supported by state frameworks, reduces institutional complexity and buffers the enterprise against market volatility. Economic simulations using the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process identify rice straw as the superior feedstock. Despite a nominal volatility of 18.63%, it achieved the highest Sharpe Ratio (0.0124), trending from an initial price of 1.71 PHP toward a long-term mean of 1.90 PHP. In contrast, sugarcane demonstrated high resiliency with a mean-reversion speed of (λ= 6), while pineapple exhibited a paradox of low volatility coupled with negative risk-adjusted returns. Given the stochastic nature of simulations, the study suggests further research to validate the utility of rice straw as a base-load material for sustainable manufacturing in paper production.

ABSTRACT Big AI firms advocate for permissive regulations in artificial intelligence (AI) upscaling, while disguising energy and climate costs. As a counterpoint, I map emerging agenda-setting efforts on AI governance from environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) regarding energy and climate issues, through thematic and network analyses of recent reports supplemented by personnel interviews. First-movers include hybrid organizations combining digital and environmental interests and international ENGO branches driven by technology-oriented personnel. Nevertheless, there is a piecemeal but collectively coherent playbook regarding AI risk and governance. Reports deploy ‘justice’ as a bridge between digital, energy, and climate movements. Key contexts include the erosion of safeguards to power concentration in Big AI, expanding extractivism, and constraints on civic activism. Personnel explore links between internal AI usage protocols and external campaigning, and emphasize that the ENGO sector must resist being divided and conquered while coalition-building in AI governance.

While irrational beliefs cluster together, their content differs widely, from beliefs about collective memories shaping biological properties (pseudoscientific) to those about premonition (extrasensory). This difference might extend further-they might reflect a similar information processing style but be differently embedded in worldviews; for example, pseudoscientific beliefs are typically endorsed by conservatives. Across three studies (two preregistered) in two post-conflict countries (total N = 1042), followed by an internal meta-analysis, we investigated whether pseudoscientific and extrasensory perception beliefs (1) are related to a less analytical but more intuitive thinking style, prone to contradictions and fatalistic thinking, but (2) are differentially linked to a conservative, authoritarian and ethnocentric worldview, and (3) are differentially related to past use of non-evidence-based practices, extrasensory perception experiences and civic activism. As expected, both beliefs were similarly predicted by information processing style. However, they were also similarly predicted by authoritarian and, to a lesser extent, ethnocentric views. Moreover, both beliefs were tied to similar behavioural patterns. We argue that the relationship among a conservative worldview, irrational beliefs and socially relevant behaviours is important for understanding how public policies get politicized.

ABSTRACT Although research on older adults’ civic engagement has expanded, residents of residential aged care facilities (RACFs) remain overlooked. Drawing on life-story interviews with 60 residents in Belgium, Finland, Spain, and Sweden, this study examines their civic activities and barriers to engagement. Civic engagement was generally low and mainly limited to informal helping and associational membership. Engagement was constrained by barriers related to resources, motivation, and opportunities, many of which were specific to the RACF context. While some barriers cut across activity types, others were activity-specific. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support meaningful civic engagement in RACFs.

ABSTRACT While scholarship increasingly examines the societal implications of artificial intelligence, less is known about how AI-generated news integrates into local communication ecologies and shapes civic engagement. Drawing on Communication Infrastructure Theory (CIT), this study investigates how individuals’ integrated connectedness to a storytelling network (ICSN) interacts with AI news consumption and active mobile app usage to influence four dimensions of civic engagement: offline and online civic participation, collective efficacy, and neighborhood belonging. Using a nationally representative U.S. survey (N = 1,252), results show that ICSN remains the strongest and most consistent predictor across behavioral, psychological, and cognitive outcomes. AI news consumption through automated news services predicts both offline and online civic participation but does not enhance collective efficacy or neighborhood belonging, suggesting that algorithmic content may mobilize civic actions without strengthening deeper communal ties. In contrast, active mobile app usage predicts all forms of civic engagement and amplifies the effect of ICSN on civic participation, highlighting mobile platforms as connective infrastructures that reinforce community storytelling networks. These findings extend CIT by situating AI news and mobile media as emerging storytellers and underscore the need for hybrid, human-algorithmic communication infrastructures to sustain civic life in a digitally evolving society.

This review examines Montoya Ortega’s dissertation on the transformative role of community radio among Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in Nicaragua. Based on three URACCAN radio stations, it shows how campaigns on health, land rights, and identity enhance strategic and participatory communication. Using a mixed-methods approach, it traces the relationship between civic action, culture, and identity. The study offers graphic communicators and public service communicators valuable tools for designing social change, revealing how sound, rhythm, and collective memory can generate new forms of visual narrative.

ABSTRACT Amid intensifying climate crises and the politicization of environmental issues, cross-national evidence on self-reported trust in environmental protection movements remains scarce. Scholarship on the gendered politics of social movements shows that women are often cast as pro-environmental and symbolic actors in environmental justice, frequently mobilized through frames of care and anti-violence. Yet whether framing translates into patterns of trust in the civic actors leading environmental advocacy is unclear. This study addresses the gap by centering environmental protection movements within institutional-trust research and analyzing how gender shapes trust alongside national conditions (GDP per capita and carbon emissions). Using five waves of the World Values Survey from 89 countries, 175 country-waves, and 127,967 respondents, multilevel models show that women report higher trust than men, with small magnitude effects across countries. These findings extend institutional-trust research, illustrating how gendered contexts in social movements activism shape complex interactions within global environmental protection advocacy. Additionally, taken-for-granted magnitude effects on assumptions about the relationship between feminization of environmental activism, behaviours and participation need to be reconsidered.

Environmental civic engagement provides an essential avenue to combat global environmental crises. However, opportunity and ability to participate in such civic action are not equal for everyone. Concerningly, the conservation movement in the U.S. has historically marginalized Black, Asian, and Latine voices from policy and decision-making processes. While previous research has focused on predictors of civic engagement in general and what barriers reduce participation, using an asset-based framing to consider what supports environmental civic engagement is less common. We used qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the role of community cultural wealth (CCW) in Black, Asian, and Latine/Hispanic individuals' participation in environmental civic engagement. CCW is an asset-based model, which has been used to understand persistence of marginalized groups in historically exclusionary spaces. We used CCW to identify factors that support Black, Asian, and Latine/Hispanic individuals' environmental civic engagement as these behaviors have been affected by structural racism. Results showed that understanding systems of oppression and being motivated to change such systems were important predictors of environmental civic engagement for Black, Asian, and Latine/Hispanic individuals. Furthermore, our results suggest that organizations, social connections, and family connections are important sources of civic knowledge and opportunity. These findings suggest that taking an asset-based approach can be a promising way to support environmental civic engagement among Black, Asian, and Latine/Hispanic individuals.

The work "The Concept of Education" (Begriff der Bildung) by Max Horkheimer, a prominent German social thinker, university lecturer, and the ideological leader of critical theory (the Frankfurt School), is among those philosophical and educational writings in which the philosopher reflects on the social significance of the phenomenon of das Studium. Perceiving the latter as the representation of the ideological essence of German university education, the Frankfurt philosopher outlines his understanding of the meaning of education in general. This text was originally delivered as a rectorial address during the matriculation ceremony for new students at Frankfurt University for the winter semester of the 1952–1953 academic year. The ceremony took place on October 10, 1952, and the text of the speech was subsequently published in the journal Die Neue Zeitung in the issue dated November 22/23, 1952. In his effort to reveal the meaning of university education to the young audience, Horkheimer, as Rector of Frankfurt University, primarily pointed to the historical character of the phenomenon of education, which originates from the cultural sphere of human existence. The philosopher highlighted the dualistic nature of the human being as a social creature, comprising two principles: an external-social component and an internal-spiritual essence. The thinker was convinced that because culture and education (as its factor) in the industrial mass society of that time had lost their ability to spiritually unite both components of human nature, this adversely affected the process of individualization and led to the alienation of the individual from civic and cultural activity. By the mid-20th century, the result of such alienation was the spread of ideologically driven barbarism within European civilization. Consequently, the speech defined a new task for university education in post-war West Germany: the educational formation of a new generation of youth united by true knowledge. The ultimate goal of this formation was to foster an internal capacity to resist the power of the dominant ideology in civil society and a conscious readiness to collectively apply the knowledge acquired at the university for the proper shaping of socio-cultural coexistence.

An effective response to the socio-environmental crisis requires the education of critical citizens, capable of articulating local action with collective socio-political engagement. Teachers occupy a central position in educating for Environmental Citizenship (EC), yet in-service professional development models in this area remain scarce. Within a Design-Based Research framework, this article discusses the expert evaluation of a training prototype. 32 experts—comprising EC researchers, TPD researchers, and specialist teachers—responded to a qualitative questionnaire regarding the model’s design. Data underwent inductive content analysis, with categories emerging directly from the responses. While results strongly validate the prototype’s structure, crucial recommendations emerged for its improvement. Pedagogically, experts suggested focusing on structuring methodologies like Problem-Based Learning and Case Studies to avoid fragmentation. Conceptually, they highlighted the need to deepen critical theoretical foundations and incorporate explicit training in activism and communication skills, enriched by ethical considerations. These findings inform the redesign of a model whose implementation aims to reduce the gap between ecological awareness and transformative civic action, preparing teachers to foster genuine agency in their students.

Involving residents in meaningful participation in heavily polluted regions faces many obstacles. This study focuses on the conditions that enhance individual involvement in civic initiatives against environmental hazards in one of the largest cities in the United States, facing chronic and heightened air pollution exposure. The work is based on a large-scale representative survey of 1950 residents in Fresno, California. The survey was carried out by a multiracial coalition of community-based organizations. The findings suggest that those individuals with ties to capacity-building organizations and with civic engagement experience were the most willing to attend local meetings about air pollution. In addition, days with higher levels of air pollution also acted as an environmental threat, motivating civic action. The study suggests that increasing public participation in pollution mitigation begins with investing in the types of civic organizations that specialize in capacity building for public engagement in order to advance the environmental justice principles of procedural justice.

Consumer boycotts are vital tools for shaping corporate and socio-political landscapes. Despite extensive research, the influence of individual and sociocultural factors on boycott participation across diverse European nations remains unclear. This study addresses this gap by applying machine learning techniques, such as decision trees and gradient boosting, to data from 24 countries in the European Social Survey. The analysis identifies civic activities, including petition signing and volunteering, as key drivers of consumer boycott participation, alongside political interest, environmental concern, and Internet usage. It also reveals complex interactions with age, religiosity, and national context. By integrating AI into consumer activism research, the study enhances predictive accuracy and deepens the theoretical understanding of political and civic behavior dynamics. Understanding the predictors of consumer boycotts can help policymakers and organizations design more effective strategies for addressing civic demands, potentially influencing market responses to consumer activism.

This study aims to examine the direct experiences of civic participation among immigrants through the COVID-19 response activities carried out by honorary community leaders representing foreign residents. It also seeks to explore the significance of these experiences. To achieve this goal, Focus Group Interviews(FGIs) and individual interviews were conducted with the Foreign Resident Honorary Community Leaders in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City—where the system was first introduced among local governments nationwide—as well as with relevant district office officials. The main findings of this study can be summarized as follows. First, as the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Foreign Resident Honorary Community Leaders in Gwangsan-gu took part in the multilingual interpretation team and were responsible for tasks such as one-on-one monitoring of individuals in self-quarantine, providing interpretation and translation support, and conducting campaigns to distribute public health guidelines. In addition, the Foreign Resident Honorary Community Leaders carried out a variety of activities aimed at supporting the central and local governments’ efforts to prevent and curb the spread of COVID-19. Second, during the COVID-19 response activities, the Foreign Resident Honorary Community Leaders in Gwangsan-gu served as a bridge between administrative agencies and foreign residents. Through this role, they experienced opportunities for learning and personal growth, and although the process was challenging, the strong support they received from their family members allowed them to feel a sense of satisfaction in fulfilling their responsibilities as honorary community leaders. Third, in the midst of an unprecedented national crisis that had never before been experienced, the Foreign Resident Honorary Community Leaders in Gwangsan-gu directly participated in activities to help the community overcome the situation. Through this engagement, they were able to redefine the status and role of the honorary community leader. Fourth, through their direct participation in COVID-19 response activities, the Foreign Resident Honorary Community Leaders in Gwangsan-gu need to further strengthen their competencies and expertise as representatives of migrant residents, and make continued efforts to expand their civic participation activities. Lastly, since this study examined the case of the Foreign Resident Honorary Community Leaders in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, there are inherent limitations in fully grasping the overall experiences of civic participation among honorary community leaders representing foreign residents. Therefore, future research should conduct comparative analyses of cases from other local governments that are operating similar Foreign Resident (Multicultural) Honorary Community Leader systems.

This study views the social disasters repeatedly occurring in the twenty-first century not as isolated events but as forms of collective trauma that shape community memory and identity. It aims to propose operational directions for social disaster museums as institutional spaces for such reflection. Adopting Museum Activism as the analytical framework, the study critiques traditional expectations of neutrality and objectivity in museum practice and argues that social disaster museums must engage actively with social issues. Through a typological case analysis of domestic and international examples, the research identifies key issues concerning ethical operation, victim-centered values, and the museum’s role in social participation. The study concludes that social disaster museums should move beyond neutral documentation and instead contribute to social change, prioritize human dignity over administrative efficiency, and strengthen their role as active civic actors. Limitations include the lack of contextual differentiation between countries and disaster types, and the exclusion of natural disaster comparisons, which remain tasks for future research.

The paper outlines the conceptual principles, features, and prospects for the development of social responsibility in higher education institutions. The main attention is focused on defining the content and functions of social responsibility in higher education in the context of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Ukraine. At the same time, important tasks are the formation of civic values, equal opportunities for all participants in the educational process and environmental awareness of students. The study is based on the analysis of international regulatory documentation in the field of education and the review of the results of theoretical and empirical works of foreign and domestic scientists. The use of methods of comparison, generalization and systematization allowed us to determine theoretical approaches and methodological guidelines for the development of social responsibility in higher education institutions. It was found that modern research lacks a unified concept of the formation of social responsibility in higher education. International practice confirms that effective social responsibility programs in higher education institutions combine an orientation towards the personal development of students, the formation of critical and independent thinking, and the education of civic responsibility in future professionals. Best global practices of social responsibility in higher education include environmental initiatives aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the educational process, promoting the use of environmentally friendly transport, and encouraging waste sorting among the population. Another important area is the formation of a culture of conscious consumption among students, which includes reducing resource use and reusing items. The development of volunteer programs for students and faculty that promote active citizenship is of great importance. Effective practice is the establishment of dialogue and partnership between higher education institutions and business within the framework of the implementation of social and educational grant programs. The main functions of social responsibility of higher education institutions include the creation of a safe and supportive educational environment, the development of civic awareness and activity, the support of inclusivity and equality, the promotion of sustainable development, as well as social partnership with the public. Ensuring security, psychological well-being and a culture of mutual respect in the conditions of national higher education becomes especially relevant during martial law. Cooperation among educational institutions, businesses, communities, and governments contributes to effective solutions to educational and social challenges. The study was conducted with financial support from the Institute of International Education Scholar’s Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF). The research materials reflect the interim results of the VEGA 1/0316/22 research project Multidisciplinary Aspects of the Feminisation at the Department of Pedagogy of the Faculty of Philosophy at Comenius University in Bratislava.

This study examines the relationship between citizens’ participation in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their civic engagement in the Russian context. The research addresses why some individuals actively participate in political life while others remain disengaged, drawing on the neo-Tocquevillian tradition that views NGOs as “schools of democracy.” Based on this theoretical framework, several hypotheses are formulated regarding the impact of NGOs and government-organized NGOs (GONGOs) on different forms of civic activity, including electoral participation, protest behavior, and voluntary donations. The empirical basis of the analysis is provided by the seventh wave of the World Values Survey involving a representative sample of 1,810 respondents from the Russian Federation who were interviewed in 2017. Methodologically, the study employs regression analysis, incorporating dependent variables (indicators of civic engagement), independent variables (participation in NGOs), and control variables (sociodemographic and value characteristics). The findings demonstrate that participation in GONGOs is positively associated with electoral activity and the volume of donations but shows no significant effect on protest behavior. When operationalized in binary form, trade union membership is linked to reduced electoral participation and decreased donations to independent organizations. Women’s associations exhibit no statistically significant influence on civic engagement. The study concludes that the type and the institutional character of NGOs determine their impact on civic participation, redistributing citizens’ resources toward institutionalized and state-sanctioned forms of activity.