Justice Mission Research Articles

Serving on a Graduate Medical Education Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Committee: Lessons Learned From a Journey of Growth and Healing.

Efforts toward achieving diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) within graduate medical education (GME) often begin with the formation of a DEIJ committee that steers the work. Little is known about the experiences and the challenges faced by those serving on such committees. We sought to describe the experiences of members of our institutional GME DEIJ committee to gain knowledge that would propel this work forward. An open-ended survey was electronically administered to members of our institutional GME DEIJ committee. Responses were analyzed using a rapid qualitative analytical approach. Eighteen members (58%) responded. Of these, (67%) were women and five (28%) were Black. Six domains emerged: “motivation,” “challenges,” “emotional response,” “highs,” “facilitators,” and “advice.” Black respondents more often cited the need to increase diversity as a motivator to join this work. Women and Black respondents more often identified time constraints as a challenge to participation. Some members found the work emotionally draining; others described it as uplifting. Two themes emerged as high points of participation-pride and achievement around the work completed and the personal benefits of building a community with a shared purpose. Three themes emerged as facilitators: effective leadership, support, and establishing psychological safety during the meetings. Many arrived at the realization that change would take time and advocated for patience and perseverance. Protected time and DEIJ expertise were identified as integral to successful committee work. Our findings provide novel insights into the experience of serving on a GME DEIJ committee and highlights infrastructural and institutional prerequisites for success.

Justice in Contracts

Abstract The mission of justice for contracts seems to be solely one of gatekeeping. As long as the justice of the bargaining stage is secured and the parties’ agreement complies with a proper floor of legitimacy, contract law, on this conventional approach, must simply follow the parties’ preferences. Doctrines that govern contractual performance and breach by appealing to justice considerations are thus portrayed as either confused or misguided. The justice rhetoric either covers for other, notably economic, considerations or undermines contract law’s liberal underpinnings. Against this common wisdom, this Article develops a theory of contractual justice, which is implicit in this significant body of doctrines. Contractual justice is a species of relational justice, and is thus informed by the most fundamental normative underpinnings of private law in a liberal polity, namely, the maxim of reciprocal respect for self-determination and substantive equality. Focusing on the justice of on-going contractual relationships, modern contract law properly solidifies a cooperative conception of contract performance, which targets a contract-specific form of relational injustice associated with the heightened interpersonal vulnerability to which sequential contractual performance gives rise. The task of this Article is threefold. It articulates and defends the normative commitment to contractual justice that is implicit in contract law’s rules of the game, epitomized by the duty of good faith and fair dealing. It further explains and justifies the legal form of these rules, being normative defaults, rather than either majoritarian defaults or mandatory rules. And finally, it demonstrates how the refinement of both their substance (relational justice) and their form (normative defaults) can help direct the future development of these complex and currently somewhat disoriented set of doctrines and, more broadly, reclaim the central place of justice in the law of contract of a liberal legal order.

Divestiture: Doctrinal Development and Modern Application

In the last several years, policymakers have increasingly pursued legislative reforms that would expand antitrust enforcement while advocating more generally for the break-up of tech companies with leading digital platforms. At least a half-dozen antitrust reforms were introduced in Congress in 2021, while federal enforcers in the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission have taken an aggressive approach to enforcement under the Biden administration. These recent events have invited an assessment of the scope and limitations of divestiture, as policymakers and regulators consider the remedy’s viability under existing and prospective federal antitrust laws. To that end, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive account of the development of the doctrinal principles and application of divestiture, beginning with its origins as an equitable remedy and subsequent developments in response to legislative reforms. The paper then discusses divestiture’s primary use in the current regulatory landscape to redress violations under § 7 of the Clayton Act, followed by an examination of its historically limited application as a remedy to unilateral conduct. In its final substantive section, the paper then assesses the ongoing debate as to divestiture’s applicability to acquisitions of nascent competitors. Finally, the conclusion provides a summary of divestiture’s doctrinal principles and application, and the implications for how divestiture may be applied in the future.

The Issue of Consumer Welfare in the Government Complaints against Google & Facebook

Although the Consumer Welfare doctrine has served as an important feature of antitrust liability since the 1980s, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have downplayed this factor in their respective Google and amended Facebook complaints. Each complaint makes a general reference to this issue, but with few detailed factual allegations. A complicating factor is that the defendants have gained dominant market positions by providing valuable digital services at little or no direct charge to consumers. In this paper, we emphasize that the services offered by the two platforms embody quality as well as price dimensions, both of which can affect consumers positively. Indeed, quality product dimensions may become even more important to consumers in a zero price environment. We construct a simple economic model using privacy as a significant quality attribute through which these issues can be explored, and then draw some appropriate policy conclusions.

Teaching Sleeping Dogs New Tricks? Transitional Justice as Identity-Building

Abstract Transitional Justice (TJ) mechanisms have been applied in several post-conflict spaces and commonly hailed by the academy as a – if not the – route to lasting positive peace. Taiwan has seen bouts of at times violent protest, which has given rise to popular and academic claims that renewed TJ efforts are required to achieve true, lasting peace. Against this backdrop, this text identifies sources of grievances and situates Taiwan’s case in the wider TJ literature to then explore Taiwan’s most recent TJ endeavours under Tsai Ying-Wen, focusing on its core mechanism, the Transitional Justice Commission. Engaging other readings of Taiwanese TJ mechanisms, this article argues that Tsai’s TJ mechanisms should be read chiefly as an identity-building project. Located in a wider drive to develop a positive identity for Taiwan, they are an attempt to establish shared historical narratives and ultimately aim to create a more stable Taiwanese identity independent of China as a pivotal Other or benchmark. This process is directed at both domestic and international audiences. This way, Taiwan negotiates, (re-)constructs and reifies a relatively inclusive positive Taiwanese identity not solely through the memories uncovered and remembered through the TJ process, but chiefly through the process itself.

NECESSITY AND DIFFICULTIES TO ESTABLISH A REPRESSIVE SYSTEM FOR INTERNATIONAL CRIMES COMMITTED IN THE DRC

More than 600 well-documented crimes have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the armed conflicts that have raged there since 1993 to the present day. Crimes against humanity, serious violations of international humanitarian law, crimes of aggression, crimes of genocide, and terrible human rights violations have been committed. The perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to justice and punished so that the victims of these crimes can be restored to their rights and the Congolese social fabric can be rebuilt. There is no need to dream of an international criminal court for the Congo created under the auspices of the Security Council. The majority of its permanent members are involved. The trial and punishment of any criminal is the discretionary competence of the State or States acting in a sovereign manner. To better achieve this objective, it is important to take stock of the Congolese law enforcement system and to conclude whether or not it is capable of punishing the perpetrators of international crimes in the DRC. Taking into account the number of suspects to be judged and the almost non-existence of specialists in international criminal law in the country, it would be appropriate to resort to international criminal justice, either at the universal or regional level. The creation of a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, both at the national and regional levels, will facilitate the political and social reconstruction of the State and promote popular cohesion.

Implementing transitional justice in post-transition Central African Republic: What viable options?

The Central African Republic currently is in search of the most suitable approach to adopt in order to address serious crimes and human rights violations committed in the country in recent years. This article is a contribution to the ongoing debate relating to transitional justice options in post-transition CAR. It suggests a three-pronged policy; focusing on the perpetrators, the victims and on society generally. The proposed policy in respect of perpetrators refers to the International Criminal Court, the Special Criminal Court and the national judiciary. Amnesty could be granted to suspected perpetrators willing to cooperate fully with transitional justice institutions. Such individuals equally could be subjected to diverse forms of lustration in exchange for forgiveness. As far as victims are concerned reparation programmes should be adopted and the necessary skills provided in order to enable them, their relatives and communities to earn a living. Lastly, society-focused transitional justice initiatives could involve the effective operationalisation of the Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation Commission, the establishment of a permanent national peace and dialogue commission and the involvement of community-based mechanisms and religious leadership. Yet, in order to increase the likelihood of success for the proposed transitional justice policy, the overall capacity of the CAR state ought to be significantly improved. Furthermore, external polities will have to refrain from interfering in the country's internal affairs and, at the same time, the international community should increase its support of the CAR.

Antiracist and Faith-based: Critical Pedagogy-Informed Writing and Information Literacy Instruction at a Hispanic-Serving, Lutheran Liberal Arts University

English faculty and librarians at a Hispanic-Serving Lutheran liberal arts university collaborated to integrate critical information literacy in a first-year writing course, following the Lutheran educational tradition of valuing inquiry and aligning with a faith-based social justice mission. The authors discuss an Evangelical Lutheran tradition of education committed to antiracism, and the challenges of enacting these values of equity and inclusion while addressing institutional racism. The authors also describe how curricular revisions in writing and information literacy instruction informed by critical pedagogy decentered whiteness in the curriculum, while creating needed opportunities for students and faculty to engage in cross-racial dialogue about systemic racism.

The 70th anniversary of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education: reflections on advancing our social justice mission.

The 70th anniversary of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education: reflections on advancing our social justice mission.

Social Justice as an Organizational Identity: An Inductive Case Study Examining the Role of Diversity and Inclusivity Initiatives in Corporate Climate and Productivity

Although research has begun to establish the benefits of implementing disability inclusion initiatives within companies, there is relatively limited research examining the impact of applied diversity management practices in the employment of PWDs. This study explores the disability initiatives of an exemplar midwestern company through an in-depth case study. An inductive, qualitative design was utilized to identify themes from interviews with multiple employees. Interviews were examined to understand how the company’s social mission and corporate identity impacted productivity and perceptions. Results suggest that employees are drawn to the company by their social justice mission in hiring and creating meaningful employment for persons with disabilities. Moreover, the fact that the company sees this mission as a central part of its organizational identity rather than as an ancillary initiative motivates employees. Findings indicate that centering a commitment to hire and support persons with disabilities within the organizational identity, forming partnerships within the community, and connecting employees with a sense of meaning in their work generates greater productivity, engagement, and commitment from employees.

Marriage Equality in Germany: Conservative Normalisation Instead of Successful Anti-Gender Mobilisation

ABSTRACT The Marriage Equality Act (2017) provides an example for Chancellor Angela Merkel's strategy of ‘leading from behind’ in the form of evolved facilitation as she changed her stance from publicly resisting to enabling this policy. Merkel's objections against marriage equality were shared by large parts of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU): A draft version of the bill was postponed for two years in the justice committee due to internal conflicts in the CDU/CSU. Scholars argue that Merkel's shift from blocking to enabling the reform has been influenced by international as well as domestic developments. The focus of this paper is on a domestic factor that has been neglected so far, namely interactions between the far right and the conservative camp. Based on data from a case study on ‘anti-gender’ mobilisations against marriage equality in Germany and their influence on the parliamentary process, this article analyses shifts in the conservative camp.

ECO - Justice and an Emergent Missiological Aspect

Abstract: In this paper the researcher discusses about the missiological discourse happening today, the researcher strongly believes that the, focus of eco -justice must be laid on the paradigm shift from the human to the earth. In this shift, the earth is the starting point and not the human. The human is only a part of the earth. Thus, the entire creation of God, the human and the nonhuman will become the subjects in the mission of God. The Oikos of life is dominated, exploited, manipulated and destroyed. People live together with all other living beings, and all the living beings are mutually interdependent. The eco -justice mission engagement of the Church is to raise up all living beings as a sovereign subject, interdependent to carry out politics of life promoting security, justice and peace. The mission movements of the Church need to work for profound renewal of the ecological stewardship and spirituality of integral life. Life-centered vision is a key component of mission.[1]Recapturing the life-centeredness in the variety of religious and cultural experiences is at the root of our understanding of God, people and the humankind as well as of our spirituality and just norms that promote eco -justice. Keywords: Church, Community, Integrity, Dignity, Justice, Responsibility, Eco -Justice, Mission, Globalization, Consumerism, Eco -Spirituality Etc.,

Social Work in the Shadow of Death

In its current form, the field of social work does not reflect the ongoing reality of Black death and the embeddedness of anti-Blackness in everyday life. This omission leads to catastrophic failures of the profession’s most essential tasks: the advancement of social justice and future social workers’ education. This paper will discuss why the police’s ongoing murder of Black people will not be resolved by simply replacing the police with social workers. We will argue that social workers serving Black people must anchor their work in theoretical perspectives articulated by Black people. Finally, we challenge social work to live up to its social justice mission by divesting from systems of social control and anchoring their work in theoretical perspectives articulated by Black people.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ELECTORAL VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 16, A PANACEA?

Social media has changed the way people interact, transact, share information and participate in political activities. Of course, the electoral process in Nigeria, as is in other parts of the world, has been remarkably impacted by the proliferation of social media. However, despite the enormous advantages it holds, social media has also proven to be a tool for inciting electoral violence through disinformation, misinformation, hate speech, and propaganda. Indeed, it is imperative to adopt an alternative framework in addressing the grave danger inherent in social media and the fomentation of electoral violence in Nigeria. It is on this premise that Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 which seeks to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels is recommended. The paper adopts a descriptive approach and argues that peace is a requisite for health, well-being, and sustainable development while strong institutions are pivotal to the attainment of peace. Therefore, the promotion of peace, justice, inclusion, and strong institutions must be treated as society’s latest tall order. Consequently, the paper recommends the establishment of an Electoral Peace Commission, Justice Commission, strengthening of electoral institutions, and the censorship of inciting words on social media platforms as plausible solutions to electoral violence as caused by social media in Nigeria.

The New Vertical Merger Guidelines: Muddying the Waters

The new U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Vertical Merger Guidelines focus on how vertical mergers are likely to affect static pricing incentives. While vertical mergers can create incentives to increase prices, they can also provide incentives to decrease prices. Which of the possible outcomes is likely to occur depends on details that are generally difficult to measure. Potential competition between dominant firms, the theory of potential harm to competition that the 1984 Department of Justice Merger Guidelines stressed, remains a more compelling rationale for blocking vertical mergers than the likely effect on static pricing incentives.

Re-Imagining Localism and Food Justice: Co-Op Cincy and the Union Cooperative Movement

Co-op Cincy is an incubator of worker- and community-owned cooperatives, including the farm and food hub Our Harvest. The incubator is part of the innovative1worker1vote.orgnetwork of unionized worker cooperatives stemming from a partnership between the Spanish Mondragon Cooperatives and the United States Steelworkers. This Community Case Study examines Co-Op Cincy’s food sector organizing as an example of resistance to the industrial, corporate food system. Their hybrid and experimental approach creatively re-imagines both cooperative ownership and localist food systems. Whereas some local efforts fail to address questions of social justice or drift from social justice missions, this essay describes how Co-Op Cincy and Our Harvest 1) define their social justice goals in pursuit of locally rooted ownership, 2) raise consciousness about the connections among food systems and racial and class disparities as well as the need for sustainability, solidarity, and democratic ownership, and 3) embody these commitments in everyday organizing. Their experimentation lends insights into potential paths to create a more equitable food system and a more just economy.

Trauma Exposure and Mental Health Needs Among Adolescents Involved With the Juvenile Justice System.

Justice-involved adolescents typically report high levels of lifetime trauma exposure, although research on juvenile justice system-wide screenings is limited. Further, there is little evidence from research on the psychological and substance abuse treatment related needs of youth relative to the trauma levels or types of trauma experienced by justice-involved adolescents. We documented lifetime exposure to traumatic events and its relation to psychological and substance use concerns in a sample of adolescents admitted to custody in the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission. This study examined lifetime exposure to traumatic events experienced by justice-involved adolescents (N = 627) using negative binomial regression modeling and zero-inflated negative binomial regression modeling to identify which adolescents have the greatest trauma exposure, and determine how cumulative types of trauma relate to youths' mental health and substance use needs. Adolescents reported experiencing an average of 4 of 17 traumatic exposures on the Life Events Checklist. The most common traumas experienced directly and indirectly were physical assault and assault with a weapon. Considering particular traumas, there were differences in exposures based on race and ethnicity, sex, child welfare involvement, and gang affiliation. Higher levels of some types of traumatic exposure were consistently related to higher levels of mental health needs. Results indicate that adolescents enter the juvenile justice system with high levels of polytraumatization. These adverse events are associated with elevated mental health and substance use needs that should be considered in case planning.

Justice in Contracts

The mission of justice for contracts seems to be solely one of gatekeeping. As long as the justice of the bargaining stage is secured and the parties’ agreement complies with a proper floor of legitimacy, contract law, on this conventional approach, must simply follow the parties’ preferences. Doctrines that govern contractual performance and breach by appealing to justice considerations are thus portrayed as either confused or misguided. The justice rhetoric either covers for other, notably economic, considerations or undermines contract law’s liberal underpinnings. Against this common wisdom, this Article develops a theory of contractual justice, which is implicit in this significant body of doctrines. Contractual justice is a species of relational justice, and is thus informed by the most fundamental normative underpinnings of private law in a liberal polity, namely, the maxim of reciprocal respect for self-determination and substantive equality. Focusing on the justice of on-going contractual relationships, modern contract law properly solidifies a cooperative conception of contract performance, which targets a contract-specific form of relational injustice associated with the heightened interpersonal vulnerability to which sequential contractual performance gives rise. The task of this Article is threefold. It articulates and defends the normative commitment to contractual justice that is implicit in contract law’s rules of the game, epitomized by the duty of good faith and fair dealing. It further explains and justifies the legal form of these rules, being normative defaults, rather than either majoritarian defaults or mandatory rules. And finally, it demonstrates how the refinement of both their substance (relational justice) and their form (normative defaults) can help direct the future development of these complex and currently somewhat disoriented set of doctrines and, more broadly, reclaim the central place of justice in the law of contract of a liberal legal order.

Redesigning Schools of Social Work Into Schools of Social Work and Social Justice: Opportunities for Civic and Organizational Renewal in a Justice Reform Environment

ABSTRACT This paper explores the re-envisioning of a school of social work into a School of Social Work and Social Justice. The thought experiment identifies how a school can meet its educational and social justice mission in response to the historic crises of 2020. An outgrowth of the aspirational strategic vision statement is the proposed strengthening of democratic learning spaces involving students and faculty members, better alignment of school curricular reform with human service workforce dynamics and social work practice needs, and an emphasis on culturally responsive leadership. The overall intention is to identify opportunities for social work schools and departments at public and private universities to advance anti-racist, community-centered innovations in social work education in an uncharted environment.

Critical Reflection: An Imperative Skill for Social Work Practice in Neoliberal Organisations?

Social work practice and education have been significantly impacted by neoliberal governmentality, which can greatly undermine the espoused social justice mission of social work. This study explores the research questions: How might critical reflection support social work practice in neoliberal organisations? And how might critical analysis using insights from critical theorists fortify the findings of critically reflective research? This study uses critical reflection on a critical incident (from Author 2’s practice) as a methodology to respond to the first research question. It further analyses the findings of the critically reflective inquiry by drawing on relevant concepts from critical theorists to respond to the second question and expand the possibilities for practitioners to develop emancipatory practices in neoliberal organisations. The findings suggest critical reflection on the critical incident examined was effective in improving social work practice, and that additional critical analysis of the wider issues raised by the research findings may enhance social work as a value-driven, client-centred and social change-oriented profession. The article highlights the benefits and outcomes of working in a critically reflective way, and makes an original contribution to the growing literature that suggests critical reflection is a vital skill for social work practice in neoliberal organisations.