Conservative Government Research Articles

Environmental DNA can inform the trade‐off between proactive and reactive strategies for crayfish conservation

AbstractThe introduction of the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus to British rivers has led to ecological degradation and the decline of the native white‐clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes. To manage and mitigate the impact of the signal crayfish, conservation agencies and government bodies employ multiple conservation strategies. These take the form of proactive native crayfish breeding and stocking programs and reactive invasive crayfish control programs. Here, we used eDNA to assess the populations of native and invasive crayfish species across 50 sites in 10 river catchments in Norfolk, United Kingdom (UK). The sites were chosen to enable assessment of the potential of eDNA to inform proactive and reactive crayfish conservation strategies. Three of the catchments sampled were selected to assess the success of recent A. pallipes reintroduction, whereas the remaining seven were selected to better understand the distribution of each species at the landscape scale. Combining results of eDNA‐based methods with net searches within an occupancy model enabled us to confidently determine the presence of P. leniusculus at eight sites, and A. pallipes at three sites, which was more than visual searches alone (five and two study sites, respectively). Neither eDNA nor net searches detected A. pallipes at sites where A. pallipes had been reintroduced. We recommend that practitioners using eDNA‐based surveys for management and conservation of crayfish should consider: (1) designing eDNA surveys with an emphasis on large spatial scales to comprehensively describe the distributions of native and invasive crayfish in a region of interest; (2) work with local conservation organizations and/or government bodies to inform the selection of study sites to generate results that are meaningful to real‐world conservation actions; and (3) use results from eDNA‐based crayfish surveys to target limited conservation resources to appropriate proactive and/or reactive conservation actions.

The electoral effect of pork barrel politics: evidence from England

AbstractThis study examines the effect of the allocation of centralised funding on electoral support for the incumbent by utilising the introduction of the “Towns Fund” in England in 2019 as a natural experiment. For causal identification, I leverage a difference-in-difference design to examine the electoral effect of this fund. My findings suggest that providing funding to constituencies significantly increased the vote share of the Conservative Party in the General Election in 2019. However, in a subset of constituencies in which the Labour Party constitutes the incumbent, the findings can not be replicated for all specifications and robustness checks. Furthermore, I do not find consistent support that the effect is stronger in economically deprived constituencies. Similarly, the results suggest that the voting outcome depends on the total amount of funding being received, however, this finding does not reach statistical significance. These results complement the literature by providing empirical evidence for pork barrel as a functioning means for vote buying for the Conservative government in 2019 in England. Furthermore, this paper emphasises that partisanship should be considered as a mediating variable when analysing the political effect of providing place-based funding.

Poverty and the Rise and Fall of the Welfare State in Britain, 1900 to the Present

Poverty in the UK has recently risen to levels and created conditions not seen since c.1900. Then, the poverty revealed in major surveys by Booth and Rowntree created shock and proposals for change leading to the first measures of what became the Welfare State. Then, as now, a major cause of poverty was inadequate pay for precarious work, though another significant cause now is the decline of the Welfare State. State welfare expanded gradually from 1906 to 1945, then much faster, along with full employment and labour market regulation, especially under Labour governments until the late 1970s. Poverty declined but never disappeared. Under Thatcher’s Conservative government, 1979–1990, state welfare was severely cut and poverty shot up. After some respite under New Labour, 1997–2010, a period of successive Conservative governments since 2010 has witnessed significant cuts to social welfare and an increase in poverty causing serious deprivation comparable with the early 1900s. But there are fewer proposals for reform now than then, though they are urgently needed.

Empirical Analysis of Factors Influencing Elephant Population Increases: A Case Study of Tanzania National Park

This study employs empirical analysis through linear regression to investigate the determinants of elephant population increases (EP). Utilizing a dataset comprising 255 observations, the research evaluates the impact of various predictor variables such as Elephant crime decrease (ECD), Elephant death decrease (EDD), Elephant poaching decrease (EPD), Elephant conflict increase (ECI), Elephant tracking improved (ETI), Patrol coverage increase (PCI), GIS coordination (GC), and Communication improves (CI) on Elephant population dynamics. The regression model's overall significance (F (8, 246) = 41.4, Prob > F = 0) indicates a robust explanation of variance in EP by the combined effect of predictors. Notably, Elephant death decrease, increased patrol coverage, and improved communication emerge as statistically significant predictors of EP. The findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions in reducing elephant mortality, enhancing patrolling efforts, and strengthening communication strategies for wildlife conservation management. This research contributes to the understanding of factors influencing elephant population dynamics, thereby assisting stakeholders such as wildlife conservation agencies, government bodies, and researchers in informed decision-making.

Spectral-temporal traits in Sentinel-1 C-band SAR and Sentinel-2 multispectral remote sensing time series for 61 tree species in Central Europe

Tree species maps derived from satellite imagery increasingly support forest administrations and nature conservation authorities with large-scale and up-to-date information. However, many species are often excluded or aggregated in classification tasks due to a limited knowledge of the most suitable predictors. Our study aims to gain a better understanding of optical and polarimetric traits for tree species mapping by examining Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 time series from 61 tree species in temperate Europe. For a selection of 32 optical, polarimetric and structural variables, the principal component analysis revealed that Sentinel-2 variables mainly explain the variance in the data by contributing to the “seasonality” and “foliage color” components. Sentinel-1 contribute most to the “texture” component. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Tasseled Cap Greenness (TCG) and Radar Vegetation Index (RVI) were chosen as key variables for further analysis. Seasonality was found to be the most dominant aspect in all vegetation indices. Furthermore, the TCG was found to be useful to distinguish between early and late budding species. The RVI showed a large potential to discriminate conifers, which is attributed to the crown volume effect of C-band SAR. Using exploratory data analysis, we further examined the influence of management, biogeographical and meteorological factors on the time series from Fagus sylvatica, Pinus sylvestris, and Picea abies. The NDVI and TCG are relatively robust to different conditions. For the two conifer species however, we found strong spatial variations of the RVI which are presumably caused by different crown conditions across the study area. Using Sentinel-1 data could therefore lead to uncertainties in tree species mapping across large biogeographical gradients. This study contributes to the improvement of tree species mapping based on optical and dual-polarimetric data and thus benefits forest authorities and other stakeholders in their monitoring tasks and decision-making.

Beyond Tolerance: Mitigating Human-Wildlife Conflict with Hospitality.

Tolerance has become a central position in wildlife conservation thought, and a goal in and of itself. Appeals to tolerance are expected to grow as the planet becomes more crowded, species are lost, and habitat is degraded. The concept has been uncritically adopted in wildlife conservation to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts (HWCs). However, scholars have demonstrated that tolerance is burdened with limitations, paradoxes, and shortcomings. Thus, blind adherence to it is not expected to produce a coexistence design necessary to sustain wildlife populations in the long term. This paper is a conceptual scoping project that engages a summary and critique of tolerance as a design principle within wildlife conservation governance. After introducing a resultant theory of dysfunctional human-wildlife coexistence, a pathway toward hospitality as a social institution is outlined via several commitments societies can make to transition to an era of normalizing a process of sincere welcoming, care, and support. The transition from tolerance to hospitality will entail shifting responsibility to humans to modify their behavior to help keep wildlife invisible where it is essential, learning about what wildlife want and need, and ensuring wildlife is not injured for being themselves.

The Ayuso Administration menace: The challenges posed by the derogation of the Madrid antidiscrimination policies for LGBTI citizens

AbstractMadrid is the first region in Spain whose government has managed to dismantle an already existing LGBTI legal framework, going against the recently voted Legal Gender Identity and LGBTI Law that applies at a State level (4/2023). The conservative government of Madrid has modified two regional laws to re‐establish gatekeeping and gender surveillance, thus putting the depathologization and self‐determination of gender identity at stake. LGBTI minors are particularly exposed to this measure, as the partial derogation of aspects of the Madrid law directly affects their autonomy and self‐determination. Our policy analysis examines the contradictions and severe effects of this law reform. We employ a cross‐reading of the State and regional statutory terms that are being jeopardized, to reveal the different levels of policy making in which the Spanish trans community is obliged to obey. We further call for further analysis and follow up of the consequences of these law reforms and the impact on LGBTI people of all ages.

Integrating People and Nature: A Perspective for Environmental Conservation and Livelihoods in the Context of Nepal

In Nepal, protected area approach to environmental conservation has been a highly contested issue,particularly in view of the conflicts between local people and conservation authorities. Presenting evidences and insights from Royal Chitwan National park and reviews of relevant theoretical knowledge, the paper argues that the protected area approach involves enormous local social costs in terms of limiting livelihoods opportunities to local people, as well as ignoring the potential of local institutions in the conservation. It then suggests a social ecology perspective to balance conservation and local livelihoods.

The Impact of Fourteen Years of UK Conservative Government Policy on Open Access Youth Work

This article reviews the impacts of the UK Conservative Party’s government policies on ‘open access youth work’ since 2010, giving particular attention to the period since 2018 and to impacts in England. After clarifying the practice’s distinctive features, it outlines the ‘austerity’ demolition of its local provision and—amid continuing wider financial pressures—changes in the role and contributions of the voluntary youth sector. It lists a range of ‘gesture’ funds for financing responses to young people’s needs and interests as the government has defined them and uses the Youth Investment Fund (YIF) as a case study of how this money has been made available and allocated. Initiatives taken by the Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) are then examined: its Youth Review, National Youth Guarantee, review of the statutory guidance to local authorities, and support for ‘youth volunteering’. Two key developments are then considered that, by early 2024, were diverting and inhibiting an even partial sustained reinstatement of the lost open access youth work facilities. One, at the policy level, is the redefinition of ‘youth work’ by governments and by some within the youth work sector itself as a wide range of out-of-school practices with young people; the other, at the point of delivery, is the on-going difficulties in recruiting youth workers, especially those with direct practice experience. Finally, two possible tentative suggestions for some reinstatement of open access youth work provisions are then discussed.

The potential for Indigenous-led conservation in urbanized landscapes in Canada

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) are an important pathway and governance system for area-based conservation led by Indigenous Peoples. While IPCAs have been established across rural and northern regions of Canada, they have received little attention in urbanized landscapes, even though all of Canada’s urban areas coincide with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis territory (and thereby underlying Indigenous jurisdiction) and the majority of Indigenous Peoples in the country live in urban centers. Canada’s federal government is in the process of establishing six new urban national parks and has committed to working with local Indigenous governments and organizations in parks planning. This study examined the potential for strengthening Indigenous participation in urban parks planning, governance, and management, including the establishment of new urban Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (UIPCAs). The results of spatial analyses of urban Indigenous territory, a review of relevant domestic and international policy and interviews with local Indigenous conservation leaders illuminate the potential for new forms of urban conservation governance that are grounded in Indigenous rights and responsibilities and reflective of Indigenous knowledge systems and biocultural priorities. However, it remains to be seen how urban Indigenous-led conservation, such as UIPCAs, can fit and operate within proposed government urban conservation initiatives, such as Canada’s Urban National Parks Program, which do not currently foreground Indigenous-led conservation in the governance of urban green space.

The Outlook of Brazilian Amazon Forest Restoration under The Leadership of President Lula da Silva

The implementation of anti-environmental policies during the conservative government under President Jair Bolsonaro has resulted in the destruction of the Brazilian Amazon forest region. The deforestation rate, which had previously decreased, started to climb significantly in 2019. The devastating forest fires that hit the Amazon at the end of this year is indivisible from the government's neglect. The re-election of Lula da Silva as President of Brazil in 2023 sparked great optimism among the Brazilians and international public for restoring Brazilian Amazon forestbecause Lula, as Brazil president for two previous periods, had succeeded in reducing the deforestation and destruction of the Brazilian Amazon forest to its lowest point in 2003-2011. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the vision of restoring the Brazilian Amazon forest under the new government of Lula da Silva. This study uses a qualitative method that relies on various information originating from government documents, related books and journals, online news reports, and several other types of secondary data. Based on the initial research, Lula has carried out multiple programs related to Amazon Forest restoration, from initiating sustainable economic development to strengthening law enforcement, protecting indigenous communities, and strengthening cooperation with the international community. As a result, the level of deforestation and forest fires in the Amazon has now followed a significant downward trend. Keywords: Amazon, Brazil, Lula da Silva

Immigration and Asylum Policy after Brexit: An Introduction

AbstractThis special collection examines how immigration and asylum policies have evolved since Britain left the European Union. The referendum was won on the promise of ‘taking back control’, yet, since Brexit, immigration has increased to record levels and the nationalities of people coming to the UK have become more diverse. The increase in immigration was driven by a liberalisation of work and study visas and the creation of new humanitarian schemes. Although some aspects of immigration policy have evolved in a liberal direction, others have become increasingly restrictive. The Conservative government has pursued a draconian agenda on asylum, borders and irregular migration, including a scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, and legislation that effectively abolishes the right to seek asylum in the UK. This introduction argues that recent immigration and asylum policies reflect the ambivalent, unstable and unresolved meanings of Brexit itself.

Abortion in the State of Exception

In the current revival of fundamentalist right-wing politics globally, Poland occupies an important place given the struggles for abortion and reproductive justice that have been ongoing there since 2016. Together with Mexican, Argentinian, South Korean, and Italian women, Polish feminists contributed to creating the International Women's Strike, which later spread throughout the globe, uniting movements in seventy countries. This article discusses the symmetric heroisms imposed by the conservative governments on women, who have to give birth “no matter what,” as well as on men, who are told to “defend their fatherland.” Such acute, gendered demands for heroism also perpetuate the binary heteromatrix, further marginalizing LGBTQIA+ people and groups. Recent Polish struggles have contributed to the shift in feminist proabortion narratives from the liberal one, centered on choice, to others more preoccupied with reproductive justice. This article argues that the recent legal limitations on access to abortion in Poland and other countries are central to the current effort to reestablish the rule of the state of exception. It also analyzes the weak resistance of grassroots feminist movements organizing for reproductive justice. The refusal to participate in heroic politics requires not only work for better access to abortion but also an alternative kind of subject formation, here tentatively defined as “unheroic,” as well as politics of weak resistance.

문재인 정부의 반부패·청렴정책 이행평가에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study is to identify the tasks that need to be implemented to advance a clean society by deriving the achievements and limitations of the anti-corruption and integrity policies through the evaluation of policy implementation centered on anti-corruption and integrity-related matters among the Moon Jae-in government's presidential election promises. The policy evaluation targets are 44 anti-corruption and integrity-related tasks (26 eliminating deep-rooted evils, 7 reforming power institutions, 3 reforming political and electoral systems, and 8 economic democratization) among the 19th presidential election pledges of the Democratic Party of Korea. Whether the presidential election promises are linked to actual national policy tasks was examined through matching with the Moon Jae-in government's five-year plan for national affairs. In addition, the verification of the fulfillment of the pledge was made using the information system of the National Assembly, the data of the National Legal Information Center of the Ministry of Legislation, and the press releases and media materials of the relevant ministries. As a result of the analysis, it was found that about 7 out of 10 presidential election pledges related to anti-corruption and integrity were reflected in national tasks, and about 5 to 6 were actually implemented. By field, “pledges related to the eradication of deep-rooted evils and economic democratization” were largely reflected in national affairs tasks and many tasks were implemented, but “pledges related to political election reform and reform of power institutions” were evaluated as relatively less so. The main achievements of the Moon Jae-in administration’s anti-corruption and integrity policy are “establishment of a system of checks and control over institutions of power,” “attempts to restore public-private governance,” “wide-of-government measures that break away from partition administration,” and “Improvement of integrity in the public service community.” Major limitations include “over-immersion in reducing the power of the prosecution, including the complete deprivation of the prosecution’s right to investigate, resulting in a backlog of priorities for other anti-corruption and integrity reform tasks,” “problems with the political independence of power institutions such as the prosecution and the Board of Audit and Inspection,” “failure to reorganize independent anti-corruption organizations,”“non-compliance with the principle of zero tolerance for corruption,” “insufficient personnel control system for social leaders,” “failure to strengthen management of public interest corporations,” “insufficient legal and institutional infrastructure to ensure sustainability of public-private governance,” and “practice of enacting allopathic legislation according to specific issues with large social impact.” In particular, given that the issues presented as limitations are immediate tasks that must be resolved in order for our society to move towards a society of integrity, either the conservative or progressive governments should focus more on the relevant issues and exercise their policy capabilities.

After the Dust Settles: Selected Considerations about the New Treaty on Marine Biodiversity in Areas beyond National Jurisdiction with Respect to ABMTs and MPAs

The recent adoption of a new agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction has been welcomed as a historic achievement that will herald a new era of marine conservation and global ocean governance. This article aims to raise and discuss some questions, as the dust settles, and to analyze selected aspects of the text of the new Agreement, with particular respect to Part III of the BBNJ agreement, dedicated to area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs), which are arguably crucial for the operationalization of the Agreement but remain ambiguous or underarticulated, and may thus reduce its effectiveness and ambition. These questions concern the relationship with other relevant instruments, frameworks, and bodies (IFBs); relatedly, the issue of recognition of area-based measures adopted under other IFBs; and the so-called opt-out question, that is, the right to make objections to an ABMT and/or MPA adopted under the BBNJ agreement.

The Conservative Turn in Memory Policies of the the Republic of Korea

The subject of the study is public disagreements on certain issues of Korean history. The study aims to determine the theoretical principles underlying the memory policies of the conservative government of Yun Seokyeol. On the example of the controversy over the transfer of the bust of the Korean independence movement fighter Hong Beomdo and the restoration of the legacy of Syngman Rhee, the author shows what arguments conservatives and progressives make to defend their position, what tools and techniques they use to establish a certain interpretation of history as the dominant one. The reason for the dispute about the legacy of the fighters for Korean independence, who belonged to the left wing of the national liberation movement, was the decision of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea to move the bust of Hong Beomdo, installed in front of the Military Academy, to another place. This decision caused protests from progressive political parties and public organizations, which accused the Yun Seokyeol’s government of an anti-communist approach and disdain for independence fighters. The dispute over Hong Beomdo’s bust also showed that there is no unity among conservatives on this issue. The government of Yun Seokyeol, largely, proceeds in its memory policies from the theoretical approach of the “new right,” the far-right group of the South Korean conservatives, which diminish the importance of anti-Japanese resistance, especially the left wing, in restoring Korean state sovereignty. At the same time, the “new right” proponents highly appreciates the role of the first President Syngman Rhee in the establishment of the Republic of Korea, ensuring its security and prosperity. The conservative government supports public initiatives to restore the positive image of Syngman Rhee, who resigned as a result of the 1960 April Revolution. Progressives have an extremely negative attitude towards conservative’s attempts to revive the legacy of Syngman Rhee, who was guilty of the presidential election fraud and political repressions.

The Impact of the Pandemic on Reproductive Autonomy and Gender Equality: Perspectives from the Sustainable Development Agenda

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic had mixed effects on reproductive autonomy. While some governments excluded reproductive health care from the category of “essential” services that could be provided during shutdown orders, the pandemic also gave researchers an opportunity to study the efficacy and safety of telemedicine abortion and self-managed abortion. Feminist organizations around the world have also organized to provide cross-border services and far more women now know how to obtain abortion medications. This can be empowering, not only during a public emergency but also when legal rights are suddenly taken away. Unfortunately, for those women who require surgical abortion care, overly strict laws can still lead to tragic outcomes. This is why it is important that human rights treaty bodies and courts are gradually recognizing a right to reproductive autonomy under regional and international human rights law. Hopefully, even conservative governments can be persuaded to provide compassionate exceptions in their laws regulating abortion. A more compassionate approach to the subject of abortion would promote both maternal health and gender equality, helping governments to achieve the ambitious targets in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Abnormal in Alberta: The Genealogy of “Severely Normal” as a Biopolitical Dog Whistle

The phrase “severely normal” was often used by Premier Ralph Klein in 1990s’ Alberta to describe the Albertans he wished to interpellate, and it has had enduring power as a dog whistle by the political right in the province. Against commentators who see it as only a facile populist gesture, in this article the author deploys Foucault’s lectures on “racism against the abnormal,” together with Ladelle McWhorter’s interpretation, to argue that there is a historical and conceptual continuity to “severely normal” that ties back to Alberta’s infamous eugenic history. Articulating this genealogy enables the connection of political struggles on the part of sexual minorities, disabled people, members of non-normative families, and Indigenous people and illuminates the biopolitical rhetoric of successive Conservative governments.

Huysuz Virjin vs. the Law? Drag Bans in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey

Abstract: The renaissance of drag in the last fifteen years has coincided with the rise of right-wing populist governments and their efforts to regulate queer performances across the world. The career of Turkey’s most famous drag queen Huysuz Virjin [Cranky Virjin] demonstrates the complex histories of drag bans, and how conservative regimes employ not only the law and explicit censorship policies but also extralegal strategies to regulate drag performances. This case study shows that while drag bans may aggravate the precarity that characterizes trans lives and transphobia may harm drag performers, the careers of cis drag queens may remain unaffected by or even indirectly benefit from anti-trans legislation.

Ill-gotten gains: Partisan alignment, politicised grant transfers and English local election outcomes

Are grant flows from the Westminster government to local authorities influenced by political dynamics, and if so do these politicised transfers influence local election outcomes? John and Ward suggested that, through the 1980s and 1990s, Conservative central governments favoured politically aligned local authorities. We demonstrate the continuation of this trend across the cohort of Labour, coalition, and Conservative governments from 2007 to 2019, and also establish evidence of inter-party variation in the type of grant manipulation in existence. We also more substantively extend John and Ward’s work by demonstrating that electoral ‘ill-gotten gains’ follow from these politicised flows, with higher resource transfers being associated with marginally stronger incumbent electoral performance. Given the importance of central grants to subnational government in the UK, these findings are of significant contemporary policy relevance.