Competitive Norm Research Articles

They feelin’ some type of way: antiblackness, speaking black flesh and the problem of interracial allyship

Competitive policy debate, an activity touted to train political leaders and civic participants, is mired in conflict over the rise of Black student participation. Diversity outreach efforts in the 1990s offered an opportunity to increase black participation significantly in the activity. These efforts at inclusion generated racial turbulence as Black students brought black theory, performance and culture to the fore as the grounding for their argumentative strategies. While the scholarship about Black activism in policy debate has focused on the reaction of the traditionalists attempting to protect the norms of competition, it is simultaneously salient to analyze white liberal and progressive responses to the disruption caused by Black debaters. Drawing on the themes of civility and mutual recognition, I encourage argument theorists to consider how the structure of anti-blackness offers a fundamental antagonism to interracial debate and deliberation. This article delves into a racialized conflict between two teams who were part of a broad-based coalition of debaters disrupting normative argumentative and performative practice in debate competitions, arguing that violating the norms of competition and standards of civility represents a necessary strategy for Black folks arguing about anti-black racism in the interracial context of competitive debate.

Повседневность неолиберального субъекта: взаимодействие макро- и микроструктур идеологии

Neoliberalism can be understood both as a practice of governance organized around economic norms of competition, flexibility and risk calculation, and as a technique of shaping and transforming modes of subjectivation. These two interpretations are closely intertwined: the institutions that capture neoliberal discourses become the starting point for the formation of a particular subjectivity known as human capital. At the same time, labour is understood very broadly: even pre-reflexive behavioural practices (e.g., sleep) are included in the idea of human capital. The purpose of this article is to analyse and criticise the neoliberal subject’s image of the life-world. The life-world is understood as an area of everyday human activity within which the pre-predicative resources of “common sense” are at work. The author takes an integrative approach, combining ideological theory and the study of everyday life. M. Foucault’s series of lectures, ‘The Birth of Biopolitics’, is used as the main source of content for the theory of neoliberalism. The critique of the neoliberal subject’s life-world is carried out through the ontological argumentation of the Ljubljana School of Psychoanalysis. The imperative of neoliberal ethics calling for unlimited pleasure is clearly evident in the mode of existence of consumer products. A certain commodity exists as a negation of its own idea: non-alcoholic wine, for example, is a negation of the idea of wine itself. In this sense, pleasure is stripped of any barriers, but just as importantly, the process of its reception becomes a meaning-in-itself that is institutionally supported. Pleasure is linked to the structurally constitutive absence of the object of desire. Thus, a critical analysis of ideology actualises the category of alienation. The overcoming of neoliberal subjectivity is only possible through the acceptance of a fundamental rupture (alienation) as the ontological basis of identity, a position that has been called an object-disoriented ontology.

Impact of economic and political policies in event management industry

Event management has become a booming industry in recent years. From sports and corporate events to intimate Gatherings there is a constant demand and necessity for efficient event planning and management. Macro environmental factors such as savings rate, inflation rate, interest rate, economic cycle and foreign exchange rate determine the aggregate demand and aggregate investment in this sector, whereas competitive advantage of the firm is determined by micro environmental factors such as competitive norms. The aim of our research paper is to determine the various political and economical factors that affect the event management industry and further identify the recent trends and risks that is faced by this sector due to the economy and political stability. The nature of study is descriptive and the source of data is primary. The data is obtained directly from the subjects and Likert scale was used to answer the questions. Through our study we have found that majority people believe that political and economical factors influence the event management industry and it affects the quality of services provided to consumers. People also believe that COVID 19 negatively impacted this sector. It was found that employment opportunities are created due to the development of this industry, thus having a positive impact on the economy. The results regarding the policies and regulations of the government that have an effect on event management was found that, event management businesses must abide by a variety of government regulations in order to operate legally and successfully. Overall, this topic provides opportunities to study how varying economic and political factors can influence outcomes event management, as numerous real-world examples. Equipped with focused analysis and research highlighting causal relationships between policy implementations versus observed results including insights into secondary impacts will help execute informed recommendations going forward.

Vertically‐Integrated Course‐Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) Structure a Biomedical Research Certificate Program that Promotes Inclusivity

Underrepresented mentors are critical for impacting the trajectory of underrepresented students toward research careers. Not only do they share lived experiences but can understand the unique challenges of navigating a predominantly white, ableist university. Undergraduates often view these mentors as role models for successful science careers and these mentors can create supportive microenvironments for underrepresented students. Although first‐ and second‐year classes offer broad access and are often the site of first contact with underrepresented faculty, teaching centered instructors are less likely to have an active research program. Minority‐serving undergraduate research programs can generate social stigma due to competitive norms of science culture and embedded bootstrapping rhetoric. Course‐based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are often cited as a particularly promising approach to preparing and motivating undergraduates to pursue graduate study that avoids stigma. However, authentic research projects rarely can be completed in a single semester, and CUREs are not typically designed to prepare students to enter particular research labs. Furthermore, CUREs typically are only available in third and fourth years, have extensive prerequisites, and are restricted to honors students (only 19% of underrepresented students in the five biomedical majors have sufficient GPAs to be eligible for honors at TAMU). One‐semester CUREs are insufficient to prepare underrepresented students for graduate study. The Biomedical Research Certificate (BRC) Program provides vertically integrated CUREs to prepare undergraduates for the next stage of their careers. A research certificate was created to address these considerations. The BRC is a multi‐college program that allows undergraduates to perform research in collaborative teams from the students’ freshman to senior years. Open to any major, it attracts diverse students across the university interested in participating in multi‐semester health‐related research. Because there are no entry requirements (e.g., prerequisites or minimum GPA) and courses count toward degree plans, it is the only program at TAMU in which there are no barriers to participating in research starting in their freshman year. This access has radically expanded research participation of lower‐division undergraduates. Freshmen explore multiple research disciplines and join a particular research track in their sophomore year. Built to expand to meet the ever‐increasing needs of both students and research labs, the BRC has grown to include research tracks in health disparities, computational biology, in vitro experimentation, human subject research, bioinformatics, and neuroscience. These tracks not only engage undergraduates in authentic research projects, but also provide the critical skills needed to take full advantage of opportunities across TAMU in junior and senior years.

Pathways to socialisation: China, Russia, and competitive norm socialisation in a changing global order

AbstractThis article problematises the status quo bias in IR socialisation research, and develops an alternative concept of competitive socialisation, through which subaltern actors internalise dominant norms, enhance their competitive edge, and enact more equalised power relations in global politics. The dominant strand of IR socialisation research mostly conceives of socialisation as a status-quo-oriented practice that reinforces the existing power hierarchy, such as teacher-student relationship. This has resulted in a one-sided theory neglecting the importance of proactive and self-directed socialisation efforts embarked upon by subaltern actors themselves. Based on an alternative sociological approach that defines socialisation as a practice of self-enhancement, this article develops the concept of competitive socialisation and articulates alternative pathways to the internalisation of dominant norms. It applies this framework to the cases of Chinese socialisation into the peacekeeping community, and Russia's socialisation into the multilateral development community. These case studies demonstrate that the holistic internalisation of dominant Western norms has enabled Beijing and Moscow to challenge the existing global power hierarchy. This, in turn, resulted in fundamental changes in their behaviours from initial norm rejection, to passive acceptance, and finally to active learning and norm internalisation.

ЛАТЕНТНЫЙ ФУНКЦИОНАЛ ПУБЛИЧНОЙ ПОЛИТИКИ

Understanding public policy as a special form of power rivalry between state and non-state actors reflects the complex interrelationships of open and latent technologies used by them. Along with legal methods of political interaction hidden from society (secreting state secrets, conducting confidential negotiations), latent tools are constantly used to promote the interests of large political investors, unknown to society and most often located outside the public space. However, their actual influence on the centers of state power and administration is inevitably reflected in the content of public policy, which is forced to use the conventional norms of open competition and public expression of positions to promote such interests. In its substantive expression, the latent functionality of public policy is formed within the framework of three social arenas emerging in the state: in the zones of contesting the power dispositions of the Center, making state decisions and organizing mass discourse. The specific forms of solving these hidden tasks are ultimately determined by the nature of the ruling regime and the level of civil activity of the population, its political competencies and ability to use institutional capabilities to control the ruling circles.

Value Chain Analysis of Wheat (<i>Triticum Aestivum</i>) in Dembecha District, Ethiopia

This study aimed to analyze the value chain of wheat in Dembecha district of West Gojjam zone. A total of 130 farm households, 30 traders, 2 bakers, 1 processor, 4 cooperatives and 10 consumers were used to collect the data. Functional and institutional approach of value chain analysis showed input providers, producers, cooperatives, collectors, wholesalers, retailers, and processors were found to be important wheat value chain actors. Four firms concentration ratio (CR4) was found to be 39.78% and there were information asymmetry and observed barriers to enter into wheat market. Buying, selling and pricing strategies showed deviation of wheat market from competitive market norms. Analysis of marketing margins revealed that processors received the highest (39.72%) marketing margin and retailers received the least marketing margins (4.85%) from consumers’ price. Even if wheat in the study area deviate from competitive market norms as a result of oligopolistic market structure and conduct, profitability analysis of wheat market showed all market actors operated at profitable level. Supporting farmers and increase productivity through practical research, develop pie-growing mechanisms among actors, founding agro-processing firm, providing infrastructural facilities, designing advance way of disseminating market information, determining appropriate pricing strategies should be done to strength value chain development.

As Necessidades de Compliance Concorrencial na Ordem Econômica

Em tempos de economias altamente complexas programas de gerenciamento de riscos se tornaram essenciais para agentes econômicos. Dentro dessa perspectiva, instituições passaram a adotar programas internos de conformação das suas condutas com as normas em vigor, objetivando gerenciar riscos de sanções. Porém, em relação à livre concorrência, subsiste desinformação pública sobre necessidades práticas de implementação desses programas. É preciso esclarecer as razões de interesse público e privado para adoção de programas internos de conformidade das atividades institucionais às normas concorrenciais. Assim, o Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica – Cade – criou seu “Guia Programas de Compliance: Orientações sobre Estruturação e Benefícios da Adoção dos Programas de Compliance Concorrencial”. Nesse sentido, o presente artigo objetiva expor a importância de compliance concorrencial na ordem econômica. Por método qualitativo são apresentadas razões de interesse público e de interesse privado para adoção de programas de compliance concorrencial. O resultado é o conhecimento de necessidades práticas de defesa concorrencial.

Childhood Adversity, Resilience, and Mental Health: A Sequential Mixed-Methods Study of Chinese Young Adults.

Resilience is a key health protective factor for those with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), but little research has explored how it manifests in early adulthood or across cultures. The purpose of this study was to generate a fuller understanding of resilience and its contribution to the relationships between mental health problems and ACEs among Chinese young adults in Hong Kong. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, 433 Chinese young adults aged 18 to 24 years were surveyed online to examine the relationships between ACEs, resilience, and mental health problems (depression, anxiety, maladjustment, and posttraumatic stress symptoms). Among them, 34 participants with ACEs were purposively selected and interviewed to explore cultural factors that influenced their resilience. Quantitative data were analyzed using multiple hierarchical regression analyses; qualitative data were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach. Higher cumulative ACE exposure was associated with higher severity of adjustment disorder and odds for screening positive for posttraumatic stress disorders, but not for symptoms of depression or anxiety. Resilience significantly contributed to explaining variances across all mental health outcomes over and beyond ACEs and in a protective fashion. Four themes emerged from qualitative interviews: (a) Privacy, emotional restraint, and "saving face"; (b) Conforming to preserve harmony; (c) A will to excel; and (d) Viewing adversity as a matter of luck. These findings suggest Chinese young adults' resilience was influenced by cultural norms of restraint, conformity, competition, and superstition. The present study provides a model for future studies using a mixed-methods design to deeply examine resilience among younger people exposed to early adversities within sociocultural, historical, or geographical contexts.

National institutional systems’ hybridisation through interdependence. The case of EU-Russia gas relations

ABSTRACT The interdependencies between the EU and its external natural gas suppliers and Russia question the transformative impact of interdependence linked to hybridisation processes. Our approach combines theories of institutional change and French Regulation Theory. These approaches lead to a new look to characterise the way in which the confrontation of two regulatory systems (European Union [EU] and Russia) is resolved today. The importance of the European market leads however to an adaptation of the Russian governance model for gas exchanges. But it also implies a transformation of the European model. The competitive norm acts as a lever to bring about hybridisation of regulations in the Russian gas sector and EU energy policy.

The evolution of norms and their influence on performance among self-governing irrigation systems in the Southwestern United States

Irrigation is important for global food supply and is vulnerable to climate change. Internalized cultural norms are important for the performance of Common Pool Resource (CPR) regimes such as irrigation systems, but much is unknown about the role of norms in shaping irrigation performance. This paper applies multi-level selection (MLS) theory and CPR theory to a stratified, semi-random sample of 71 irrigation systems of distinct cultural origins in the Upper Rio Grande Basin of the United States to test hypotheses related to the role of norms in irrigation system form and function. Results show that internalized norms of cooperation are strongly associated with the rules and technologies adopted by irrigators, the frequency of water use violations, average crop production, and the equality of crop production. Systems with internalized norms of cooperation have adopted rules and technologies which are associated with increased care for the commons, public goods, and higher equality between irrigators. Further, agents designated as monitors of CPR use have different effects depending on whether irrigators possess cooperative or competitive norms. Notably, the presence of monitors that enforce rules that are incongruent with norms is associated with increased water use violations and lower average crop production. These findings add weight to the growing body of work giving greater attention to cultural context when analyzing user-governed CPR regimes and climate resilience, and further illustrate the compatibility of MLS theory with other prevailing theories in CPR research.

Cheating as wrongful competitive norm violating

ABSTRACTIn this article, I begin to develop and defend a reformed concept of ‘cheating’ as ‘wrongful competitive norm violating’. I then use this to reject Oliver Leaman’s view that cheating is sometimes not wrong and can make sport better as sport. I also consider and reject an attempt by John Russell to defend what would essentially be a middle position between Leaman’s and mine. Russell’s defense of his view also fails, either for the same reasons that Leaman’s does or because it is irrelevant.

Neoliberalism, Black Masculinity, and Black Male Youth: The Value Of Transdisciplinary Studies To Urban Educators

Drawing on Critical Race Theory and a transdisciplinary framework, this article considers how hegemonic neoliberal discourses contribute to and reinforce negative constructions of Black masculinity and the implications for educating Black male youth (BMY). Neoliberal secondary educational reforms of the last three decades in Ontario, which have resulted in heightened standardization in schools and promote norms of individual attainment, competition, and social control, have served to intensify the stigmatization and alienation BMY. In response to the interlocking racial, gendered, and class oppression they experience within the prevailing neoliberal context, many BMY have increasingly embraced a defensively situated resistant Black masculinity. We argue that, rather than viewing the communities and counternarratives of BMY as sites of deficiency, educators need to conceptualize the experiential knowledge of such young people as that which can nourish transdisciplinary knowledge production and be integrated into classroom curricula and pedagogy. Inviting the cultural wealth of BMY into school can help bridge the divide between schools and the communities of such youth, thereby making mainstream schooling more inclusive by diversifying curricula, democratizing the classroom, and challenging the neoliberalization of education. The authors highlight Hip-Hop as an example of cultural wealth that illuminates the knowledge and lived realities of BMY and can be utilized by urban educators to promote academic engagement and intercultural exchange in classrooms.

The development of intergroup resource allocation: The role of cooperative and competitive in-group norms.

The present study investigated age-related changes in the intergroup allocation of resources depending on whether the ingroup norm was competitive or cooperative. Participants included children (Mage = 8.69), adolescents (Mage = 13.81), and adults (Mage = 20.89), (N = 263) who were inducted into simulated groups and informed about an ingroup norm of either cooperation or competition. The goal context for the resource allocation task was either prosocial (to benefit the welfare of animals in a charity event) or group focused (to win a national interschool competition). They were then asked to allocate resources between an ingroup and outgroup, and to justify their allocation. The findings showed that children allocated significantly more resources to their ingroup in order to achieve a prosocial goal, but only when the ingroup norm was competitive. In contrast, adolescents and adults allocated resources equally irrespective of the ingroup norm. These findings showed that children prioritized the moral goal of welfare over that of fairness when their ingroup favored competition, while adolescents and adults always prioritized fairness. Older participants justified their equal allocation with greater reference to the importance of fair competition. This study demonstrated an important developmental shift in how the prioritization of moral goals during intergroup resource allocation is influenced by ingroup norms of competition and cooperation. (PsycINFO Database Record

Supplemental Material for The Development of Intergroup Resource Allocation: The Role of Cooperative and Competitive In-Group Norms

Supplemental Material for The Development of Intergroup Resource Allocation: The Role of Cooperative and Competitive In-Group Norms

Group norms, intergroup resource allocation, and social reasoning among children and adolescents.

Cooperation is a fundamental drive of moral behavior from infancy, yet competitive intergroup contexts can exert a significant influence on resource allocation behavior in childhood. The present study explored how ingroup and outgroup norms of competition and cooperation influenced the allocation of resources between groups among children and adolescents, along with how they reasoned about these allocations. Ingroup norms combined, for the first time, with outgroup norms were manipulated to examine their effect on the development of intergroup resource allocation. Participants aged 8 to 16 years (n = 229) were told that their ingroup and the outgroup held either a competitive or cooperative norm about how they should behave in an arts competition. They then allocated tokens for expenditure in the competition between the 2 teams, and provided social reasoning to justify their chosen allocations. Results showed a negative outgroup norm of competition led to significantly more ingroup bias when the ingroup also held a competitive rather than a cooperative norm. In contrast, a positive outgroup norm of cooperation did not result in significantly less ingroup bias when the ingroup also held a cooperative norm. Additionally, adolescents, unlike children who allocated equally were more likely to make reference to fair competition, a form of moral reasoning, in the competitive compared with the cooperative ingroup norm condition. This study showed that children and adolescents considered both ingroup and outgroup norms simultaneously when making intergroup resource allocations, but that only adolescents varied their reasoning to justify these allocation in line with group norms. (PsycINFO Database Record

Hoist on their own petards? The reinvention and collapse of authoritarian successor parties

What happens to authoritarian ruling parties when they accept democracy and reinvent their organizations, symbols, and programs to comply with the norms of free political competition? The consequences of such reinvention have been neglected empirically, yet they are critical for our understanding both of the costs and benefits of party transformation and for the health of democratic party competition. Using a novel data set comprising 81 countries over 1945–2015, and a structured comparison of two prominent cases of authoritarian reinvention, this article makes three contributions. First, it distinguishes among the different strategies available to authoritarian ruling parties after the collapse of their monopoly regimes, including exit, dissolution, and reinvention. Second, it finds that the cruel paradox is that the biggest boosters and builders of party democracy—the reinvented authoritarian successor parties—eventually suffer the most electorally. Third, this paradoxical fate follows from their initial decisions to reinvent and transform themselves.

Antitrust Abuses and the FDA Approval Process: Statement Before the Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial, and Antitrust Law U.S. House of Representatives

Various scholars and policymakers have voiced concern over the years that pharmaceutical companies often operate in ways that are inconsistent with norms of fair competition and may violate antitrust law — in particular that, despite complying with the regulatory framework and the intellectual property framework, these companies invoke or employ these frameworks inappropriately. I was asked by subcommittee staff to provide my perspective on three aspects of the regulatory paradigm of particular interest: citizen petitions, use and distribution restrictions, and FDA’s unapproved drugs initiative. The written statement concludes with a page of concrete recommendations, which reflect four core values. The first value is the public health mandate embodied in FDA’s statutory mission: promotion of the public health through prompt and efficient review of clinical research and timely appropriate action on marketing of regulated products, and protection of the public health by ensuring that drugs are safe and effective. The second value is the open government principle embodied in the petition clause of the First Amendment, the agency’s mission statement, the APA, and other federal statutes: transparency, access, and accountability. The third value is the importance of the patent property right to continued innovation in medicine, and the final value is the importance of evidence-based policymaking, both in the legislature and in administrative agencies.

Structural Changes and Growth Regimes

We study the relation between income distribution and growth mediated by structural changes on the demand and supply side. Using results from a multi-sector growth model we compare two growth regimes which differ in three aspects: labour relations, competition, and consumption patterns. Regime one, similar to Fordism, is assumed to be relatively less unequal, more competitive, and with more homogeneous consumers than regime two, similar to post-Fordism. We analyse the parameters that define the two regimes to study the role of exogenous institutional features and endogenous structural features of the economy on output growth, income distribution, and their relation. We find that regime one exhibits significantly lower inequality, higher output and productivity, and lower unemployment than regime two. Both institutional and structural features explain these difference. Most prominent among the first group are wage differences, accompanied by capital income, and the distribution of bonuses to top managers. The concentration of production magnifies the effect of wage differences on income distribution and output growth, suggesting the relevance of the norms of competition. Among structural determinants, particularly relevant are firm organisation and the structure of demand. The way in which final demand distributes across sectors influences competition and overall market concentration. Particularly relevant is the demand of the least wealthy classes. We also show how institutional and structural determinants are tightly linked. Based on this link we conclude by discussing a number of policy implications emerging from our model.

Linking industrial and creative change in 21st-century US television

The US television industry began experiencing profound change in the early 21st century, change that likewise manifest in the programs of the era. This article explores how and why scripted US television series evolved so profoundly at the dawn of the 21st century and what this might tell us about the continued disruption introduced by Internet-distributed television. The article identifies the industrial practices that propelled and challenged this change and examines how the conditions of creative workers adjusted alongside textual possibilities. Drawn from interviews and archival research, the article relies on case studies of the production histories of milestone series in this evolution to assess the shifting competitive norms and the consequences of textual innovation for creative workers, commercial media industries, and audiences.