Political Science Research Articles

Russian journals on political science through the prism of bibliometric indicators

The article analyzes changes in bibliometric tools for assessing the activities of scientific journals and their role in maintaining and developing scientific communication in modern Russia using the example of political science journals, taking into account the political and scientific information context, as well as the specifics of the scientific discipline. The authors assess the impact of the new Science Index RINTS configuration on the structure of the rating of publications on political topics, and also consider the significance of other bibliometric indicators and expert assessments that are not included in the index. This issue is studied in the problematic field of changes in the external context of Russian science from the point of view of the concept of adaptation of science as a system to the conditions of the external environment, taking into account its relative autonomy. The article shows that changes in the Science Index generally show a tendency to preserve the internal autonomy of science. These changes were based on the motives of ensuring in the structure of the index the assessment of the qualitative level of scientific publications and the focus on taking into account their professionalism. The authors trace the general trend according to which the leading positions in the rating are occupied by the most famous professional journals associated with the institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the leading universities of the country. At the same time, the authors also draw attention to some controversial effects of the new version of the index, in particular, the underestimation of indicators indicating the “openness” of the journal to different authors and publications (the so-called “encapsulation” effects), as well as a number of other informative indicators available in the RSCI system. A conclusion is made about the strengths and weaknesses of the structural features of the index, as well as some specific features of the subject classification from the point of view of the tasks of adequately assessing the activities of scientific journals in political science and strengthening professional standards within the discipline.

Intangible resources of rural development policy: pyramid of opportunities

Political phenomena and processes occurring in rural areas, which were largely neglected by political scientists, are attracting more attention and they present promising problems, which are associated both with ongoing geopolitical transformations and with public discourse on food security and demographic processes. The formation of political rural studies as a sub-branch of political science stands is in its infancy. The purpose of our study is to identify the influence of intangible resources on rural development policy. Development policy is presented as a non-linear process associated with the search and institutional design of alternative development opportunities that take into account the diversity of meanings and dimensions of social well-being. The empirical research methodology underlying this paper combines qualitative and quantitative strategies and is based on an expert survey, traditional document analysis, statistical data analysis, focus group interviews in 12 rural settlements in the Krasnodar Territory and a mass survey. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis allowed us to present a set of intangible resources as a pyramid, in which the broad base, the foundation, is made up of first-order resources - local identity, human potential and leadership; the second tier of the pyramid consists of second-order resources - social capital, development institutions; and at the top are third-order resources - civil solidarity, trust and subjective well-being. A comprehensive analysis of intangible resources has allowed us to identify four empirical models of development policy: a responsible development model, a fragmented development model, a distant development model and a stagnant model.

The population of Karabakh in the and XIX early XX centuries (based on statistical sources)

This article examines the changes in the ethnic composition of the population of the Karabakh region from the beginning of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. The resettlement policy implemented by the Russian Empire, the mass resettlement of Armenians to the region after the Turkmenchay and Edirne treaties, as well as the influence of social and economic factors, have led to significant changes in the demographic landscape of Karabakh. The article is based on historical documents and statistical data and sheds light on the impact of these changes on the political and social development of the region.

The Global Rise of Anti-Gender Movements and Feminist Resistance Strategies

In recent years, there has been a noticeable surge in anti-gender and anti-feminist discourses in international politics. Politicians, policymakers, and diverse societal actors in various countries challenge or reject feminist ideas and gender-related concepts, as well as support policy changes that erode the structures and institutions that have been instrumental in upholding women's rights, promoting gender equality, and protecting the rights of LGBTQ people. This special issue of Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science seeks to explore the multifaceted nature of these discourses, examining their origins, implications, and potential impacts on domestic, regional, and international levels. Additionally, it aims to identify strategies and opportunities for feminist resistance and advocacy in the face of the backlash.

Introduction: The North Atlantic Triangle: ‘For and Against?’

This introduction provides some necessary background to the origins of John Bartlet Brebner’s North Atlantic Triangle: The Interplay of Canada, the United States, and Great Britain, published in 1945, which is the subject of this special issue of the London Journal of Canadian Studies. The author – and guest editor of this issue of the journal – also reflects upon the differing views of the journal’s eminent contributors on the significance of the ‘North Atlantic Triangle’ concept that has been regularly debated by historians and political scientists – Canadian, British and American – ever since the book was first published.

Every cloud has a silver lining – leadership interventions in times of uncertainty

PurposeCurrent political, economic and societal developments have led to high uncertainty in organisations, which may negatively impact employee well-being. Leaders play a crucial role in this context. This study explores how interventions support leaders and their followers in times of uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted 22 interviews to evaluate the experiences of two interventions, coaching and mental health awareness training, both implemented in two corporate organisations in Czechia during a merger and acquisition and the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsOur findings show that both interventions equipped participants with resources to manage change, such as increased self-awareness and self-efficacy, and improved coping strategies for stressful situations. Participants gained better leadership skills and knowledge to support employees and themselves when facing mental health issues. Our findings reveal that the contextual factors in the two organisations led to different mechanisms and content for coaching but similar mechanisms in mental health awareness training.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the understanding of targeted interventions to support leaders during times of uncertainty. Implications for practitioners and Human Resources when developing context-specific support strategies are discussed.

Impact of Capital Flight on The Growth of Nigeria’s Economy: 1980-2021

This study examines the impact of capital flight on the growth of Nigeria’s Economy over the period 1980-2021 using the OLS method of estimation. Descriptive statistic, trend analysis, ADF unit root were firstly done and it was indicated that all the variables were stationary at level and first difference I(0) and I(1). The ARDL cointegration revealed that capital flight has significant relationship with economic growth and inversely related both in short-run and long-run. External debt (-2.61) and (-0.23) has negative impact on the growth of Nigeria economy both in the short-run and long-run respectively. Insecurity (1.42) and (-13.04) has negative impact of growth of Nigeria’s economy and is statistically significant both in short-run and long-run. More so, exchange rate (-0.07) was negatively related with growth and statistically significant in short-run but (0.023) positive related in the long-run. External reserves (-0.0005) and (-0.0001) also has negative impact on growth of Nigeria’s economy both in short-run and long-run respectively. ARDL model reparameterized into Error Correction Model revealed the long-run equilibrium was corrected in the current period at an adjustment speed of 79%, statistically significant and negatively signed. Based on the findings, it was recommended that federal government should include favourable economic policies, ensuring political stability and institutional developments. Also, government is expected to execute policies that will advance the level of gross domestic product growth in Nigeria.

The Politics of Platform Technologies: A Critical Conceptualization of the Platform and Sharing Economy

This paper offers a political analysis of the platform and sharing economy—an economic model in which digital platforms facilitate social and economic interactions. Its two central models, mainstream and cooperative platforms, offer similar applications and services (e.g., home-sharing, food delivery), but fundamentally differ in their ownership and governance structures, economic models, and technical designs. Building on literature from the politics of technology (PoT), the paper develops an approach for the political analysis of platform technologies, combining central components from the works of Winner, Feenberg, and Pfaffenberger. This approach is then applied to analyze the platform and sharing economy, highlighting the political significance of platform technologies. The analysis reveals three key insights. First, when incorporated into particular social arrangements, digital platforms become means for shaping social realities rather than mere tools for specific uses. Second, mainstream platforms perpetuate capitalist conditions in the digital sphere and therefore necessitate platform capitalism to function, whereas cooperative platforms resist and undermine it. Third, the dynamics between the platform models embody a struggle over the question of the good life in the digital economy. Additionally, the paper uncovers a philosophical weakness in Winner’s definition of “inherently political technologies” that warrants further attention in PoT literature.

Slow‐Moving Welfare State Change in Quebec and “Movements From Below”

ABSTRACTRecent discussions of policy change in political science have been heavily influenced by historical institutionalist typologies of gradual institutional change and of the ideal‐typical agents producing them. The key agents are those within the state who implement and interpret the rules, while the agency of social movements is treated as largely contextual. One way of enriching these accounts is to consider the offensive and defensive strategies of “social movements from below” contesting the dominance of the “social movement from above” over time. This is illustrated by the case of Quebec, where the shift away from a liberal welfare state in the 1990s is explained in part by the social movement project of the women's and community movement.

Czasy napoleońskie widziane oczyma podmiejskiego plebana. Notatki księdza Bonawentury Najgrakowskiego w księdze chrztów parafii św. Michała w Gnieźnie

In 1791-1811, Rev. Bonawentura Najgrakowski would record events which were important for the town and the Polish nation in the margins of the Baptismal Register of the St Michael parish in Gniezno. In his brief notes, he placed particular emphasis on political developments which, in his opinion, were to culminate in independence of the Republic. Much of his attention focused the figure of the first French consul and later Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. To date, Rev. Najgrakowski’s notes have not become the subject of scholarly inquiry.

A frustratingly easy way of extracting political networks from text.

This study demonstrates the use of GPT-4 and variants, advanced language models readily accessible to many social scientists, in extracting political networks from text. This approach showcases the novel integration of GPT-4's capabilities in entity recognition, relation extraction, entity linking, and sentiment analysis into a single cohesive process. Based on a corpus of 1009 Chilean political news articles, the study validates the graph extraction method using 'legislative agreement', i.e., the proportion of times two politicians vote the same way. It finds that sentiments identified by GPT-4 align with how frequently parliamentarians vote together in roll calls. Comprising two parts, the first involves a linear regression analysis indicating that negative relationships predicted by GPT-4 correspond with reduced legislative agreement between two parliamentarians. The second part employs node embeddings to analyze the impact of network distance, considering both with and without sentiment, on legislative agreements. This analysis reveals a notably stronger predictive power when sentiments are included. The findings underscore GPT-4's versatility in political network analysis.

Evaluating the impact, implementation experience and political economy of primary care networks in Kenya: protocol for a mixed methods study

BackgroundPrimary care networks (PCNs) are increasingly being adopted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to improve the delivery of primary health care (PHC). Kenya has identified PCNs as a key reform to strengthen PHC delivery and has passed a law to guide its implementation. PCNs were piloted in two counties in Kenya in 2020 and implemented nationally in October 2023. This protocol outlines methods for a study that examines the impact, implementation experience and political economy of the PCN reform in Kenya.MethodsWe will adopt the parallel databases variant of convergent mixed methods study design to concurrently but separately collect quantitative and qualitative data. The two strands will be mixed during data collection to refine questions, with findings triangulated during analysis and interpretation to provide a comprehensive understanding of PCN implementation. The quantitative study will use a controlled before and after study design and collect data using health facility and client exit surveys. The primary outcome measure will be the service delivery readiness of PHC facilities. We will use a random sample of 228 health facilities and 2560 clients in four currently implementing PCNs, four planning to implement and four control counties at baseline and post-implementation. We shall undertake a preliminary cross-sectional analysis of the data at baseline from October to December 2023, followed by a difference-in-difference analysis at the endline from October to December 2024 to compare the outcome differences between the intervention and control counties over a 12-month period. The qualitative study will include a cross-sectional process evaluation and political economy analysis (PEA) using document reviews and approximately 80 in-depth interviews with national and sub-national stakeholders. The process evaluation will assess the emergence of PCN reforms, the implementation experience, the mechanism of impact and how the context affects implementation and outcomes. The PEA will examine the interaction of structural factors, institutions and actors/stakeholders’ interests and power relations in implementing PCNs. We will also examine the gendered effects of the PCNs, including power relations and norms, and their implications on PHC from the supply and demand sides. We shall undertake a thematic analysis of the qualitative data.DiscussionThis evaluation will contribute robust evidence on the impact, implementation experience, political economy and gendered implications of PCNs in a LMIC setting, as well as guide the refining of PCN implementation in Kenya and other LMICs implementing or planning to implement PCNs to enhance their effectiveness.

Features of the Ukrainian balancing policy in 1991–2014 and their impact on the aggravation of contradictions between Russia and the West in the region

Ukraine's foreign policy in 1991–2014 was characterized by various types of foreign policy balancing. At the initial stage of the formation of Ukrainian statehood, Kiev's foreign policy course traces the traditional type of balancing associated with maintaining the parity of influence of the leading powers. In the multi-vector policy proclaimed by President of Ukraine L. Kuchma, as well as the foreign policy course pursued by President V. According to Yanukovych, there are signs of the second type of balancing, which is determined by the focus on obtaining short-term benefi ts and solving situational tasks. Also, the Ukrainian version of balancing in the period under review is characterized by the active use of the growing contradictions between Russia and the West in their own interests. At the same time, such attempts were often in the nature of provocation. The peculiarities of the country's internal political development in the post-Soviet period, related to regional specifi cs, also contributed to the establishment of the "pragmatic" balancing model in Ukrainian foreign policy practice. The model of foreign policy balancing implemented by Kiev not only did not contribute to the harmonization of contradictions between Russia and the West in Ukraine, but also carried a significant additional conflict potential. The experience of Ukrainian foreign policy in 1991–2014 indicates that the policy of balancing Ukraine can become a factor in the stability of the processes of peaceful development of the region in the post–war period only if it is based on long-term parity of infl uence between the interests of Russia and the West.

Ancient Tyranny and Modern Dictatorship

Abstract This article traces the conceptual history of key terms used to describe and criticize bad political regimes, focusing on the displacement of “tyranny” by “dictatorship” and “authoritarianism.” Classical Greek thought understood tyranny primarily in terms of the character of rulers, whereas the modern idea of dictatorship emerged from a Roman conceptual framework that focused on authority and its legitimation. New problems of legitimation in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries diminished the utility of the character-centric concept of tyranny and increased the fruitfulness of dictatorship for political analysis. The emergence of the modern state in the nineteenth century shaped the conceptual field by increasing the salience of problems concerning the appropriation or usurpation of sovereignty, the distortion of popular legitimation and accountability, and the incentives for submission to illegitimate orders. I conclude that the use of “authoritarianism” is likely to increase in prominence, but that retaining multiple regime concepts enriches analysis.

Mapping Government Budgeting Research: A Systematic Literature Review

ABSTRACT Government budgeting is a classic and multidisciplinary field of research, making it challenging to keep track of its development. This article reviews the literature on government budgeting in three fields: public administration, political science, and public economics. We conducted a systematic literature review of 615 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1939 and 2021. We examine the questions of who, where, what, and how in government budgeting research. Government budgeting research shows stable patterns historically and has addressed emerging issues in recent years. This literature review maps the intellectual growth of government budgeting research and sheds light on future research directions.

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CLASS IN SHAPING CITIZENSHIP: AN ANALYSIS OF THOMAS MARSHALL'S WORKS

In the era of 21st-century disruption, fostering national character to strengthen identity and nationalism is crucial for forming inclusive citizenship. This research aims to deepen and broaden the understanding of how social class affects individuals' access to citizenship rights. This study employs a qualitative approach using the library research method, which involves compiling various references from previous studies relevant to the research subject to draw conclusions. The collected data are processed, analyzed, and presented descriptively and qualitatively in a logical and systematic manner, yielding inductive conclusions that begin with specific observations and lead to general conclusions. Inequality in access to education, disparities in employment opportunities, and limited political participation are challenges that need to be addressed to achieve inclusive and equitable citizenship. The challenges in Indonesia's education system encompass three main aspects: unequal access to educational, varying quality of education, and inconsistent allocation of budgets along with a lack of commitment from local governments to improve educational standards. These inequalities present significant challenges in realizing a fair and equitable citizenry system. This work is an essential reference for sociological, political science, and legal studies in discussing the dynamics of citizenship and social equality.

Fifty-four thousand deaths, zero electoral impact

Abstract The February 2023 earthquake in Turkiye resulted in 54,000 fatalities and over $100 billion in economic losses. We examine whether this catastrophic event influenced incumbent-party support in the subsequent election. In contrast with previous researchers, we find no significant effect on voter turnout or the incumbent party’s vote share, even after accounting for population displacement and infrastructure damage. We argue that this null effect is due to several factors: effective electoral management policies that reduced voting costs despite significant population displacement; a compressed timeline between disaster and elections, which constrained politically motivated aid distribution; extreme political polarization, which led the public to filter their interpretation of the disaster response through partisan lenses; different information flows in state-controlled media and social media; and offsetting electoral responses across regions. Our results offer valuable insights for policy makers, political scientists, and economists studying the political consequences of natural disasters.

Gulf Donors in the MENA Region: Unravelling Motivations, Aid Strategies and Geopolitical Objectives in the Case of Tunisia (2011-24)

ABSTRACT Since the 2011 Arab uprisings, Gulf Arab states have increasingly used foreign aid as an instrument of economic statecraft in the MENA region. By combining insights from both neoclassical realism and constructivism, we can better understand why Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have implemented a range of aid strategies to pursue different strategic and normative objectives during Tunisia’s political evolution. Qatar aimed to increase its regional influence and gain allies by supporting Islamist movements, while aid from the UAE and Saudi Arabia was used to promote authoritarian stability and counter the influence of political Islamist groups at both home and abroad. The analysis highlights the limitations and opportunities of economic statecraft, the intersection of material and ideational factors in its formation, and how the aid strategies employed by Arab states are similar to those of Western donors in terms of prioritising stability and security. Relatedly, it shows how Gulf countries take into consideration competing religious agendas and the influence of political Islam when allocating their aid.

Democratization and its Impact on Foreign Relations in Turkey

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the democratization and its impact on foreign relations in Turkey. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Turkey’s democratization has significantly influenced its foreign relations, shaping both regional and global engagements. Periods of reform aimed at aligning Turkey with Western standards improved ties with the European Union and fostered diplomatic dialogue, yet political setbacks and civil liberties concerns have strained these relationships. At the regional level, democratization has contributed to a more proactive foreign policy, balancing Turkey’s roles in NATO and the Middle East. However, internal power shifts and fluctuating democratic practices continue to affect Turkey’s credibility and negotiation power, underscoring the interdependence between domestic political evolution and international diplomacy. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Modernization theory, dependency theory & democratic peace theory may be used to anchor future studies on democratization and its impact on foreign relations in Turkey. In practical terms, a solid democratic framework provides political stability, which is key for building credible and reliable foreign alliances. Policy should focus on institutional reforms that consolidate democracy, thereby enhancing international confidence.

Analysis of Max Weber's Perspective on the Dynamics of First-Time Voter Participation in the 2024 Presidential Election (A Case Study on Students of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Slamet Riyadi University)

The presidential election is a significant political event in Indonesia that involves all voters, including young voters. Students, as first-time voters, play an essential role in casting their votes in the presidential election. However, research on the profiles and factors influencing first-time student voters' decisions remains limited. This study analyzes the dynamics of first-time voters' participation in the 2024 Presidential Election using Max Weber's social action theory. Employing a qualitative approach, the study focuses on students from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Slamet Riyadi University (UNISRI), as the research subjects. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, non-participant observation, and document studies. The main findings reveal that emotional and value-oriented actions dominate the political participation of first-time voters. Social media significantly shapes emotional narratives and issues relevant to the younger generation, while the campus environment fosters rational-instrumental actions through critical discussions. Family traditions also play a crucial role in shaping the political decisions of first-time voters. The implications of this study highlight the importance of social media-based political education to enhance critical and value-driven political participation.