Terms Of Democracy Research Articles

Democratisation without democracy: Musical discourse in the digital age

ABSTRACT The contemporary discourse of digitalisation suggests that the music world has been ‘democratised’ through technical protocols that allow for greater access and voice, and eliminate the need for intermediaries such as record company executives and professional music critics. Yet there is little engagement in this formulation with normative conceptions of democracy. Indeed, the formal similarities between technological platforms and democratic structures obscure what are far more significant substantive differences. Using examples of historical moments when the connection between music and normative conceptions of democracy in the US were significantly more robust, I consider developments that led to the hollowing out of such critical public discourse about music and analyse the transposition of meaning of key democratic terms. This work builds on Jeffrey Goldfarb's commitment to the relative autonomy of the arts and sciences and their central place in democratic public life.

Rethinking International Scholarships as Peace Interventions in the Palestinian Context of Conflict

International education scholarships can be significant interventions at times of conflict and peace. Extant research in International Relations and in International Education begins to demonstrate this significance but predominantly in neo-liberal terms of human capital import, North-facing cosmopolitanism, and Western-style democratization and global (economic) integration. This is valuable framing, but it misses more complex political effects of scholarships as conflict and peace interventions. This paper presents empirical evidence illuminating the need for a broader ontology in researching the potential contribution of scholarships to peace. The paper draws on qualitative data collected from 32 Palestinian scholarship alumni and alumnae, sampling a national group nowhere to be found in scholarly or policy works dealing with international education and conflict/peace. Developed through a critical realist thematic analysis of the collected data, the experiential findings reported here show strong perceived gains in the research participants’ critical reflexivization and domestic and global (re)socialization of their sense of national identity and awareness. An interdisciplinary discussion of these gains demonstrates that scholarships may represent deep and significant advocacy and capacity-building interventions in the contexts of conflict, with these interventions spanning the humanitarian, development, and, to a lesser extent, political spheres. The discussion is concluded with a reflection on the methodological-conceptual challenge these findings outline to framing international education impacts in only neo-liberal terms. Overall, this paper contributes a timely Global South perspective to inform critical thought and practice of international scholarships for Palestinians and other conflict-affected groups/nations.

The limits of liberal justice: on authoritarianism and instrumental theories of law

ABSTRACT In this essay, I use Professor Shucheng Wang's recent book Law as an Instrument: Sources of Chinese Law for Authoritarian Legality as a point of departure for reconsidering the conventional opposition between liberal and authoritarian forms of legality. I suggest that opposition is in turn embedded in an even more elemental distinction between different state forms. Turning to Montesquieu's The Spirit of the Laws, I first investigate the historical and geopolitical processes by which modern political theory reduced the political universe into three species of states (republics, monarchies, and despotisms) and then merely two (democracies and authoritarian states). I then turn to the contemporary genealogy of the concept of rule of law, which arose first as a critique of the rise of the administrative state in the West and then became a means to delegitimize socialist conceptions of legality. I conclude by focusing on the People's Republic of China to evaluate the utility of assessing its legal order in terms of authoritarian legality as well as in terms of democracy more generally.

Abstract TP95: Stakeholder Perspectives Regarding Conventional and Alternative Funding Paradigms for Stroke Research: Results From the Perspect Qualitative Study

Background: Stroke research is underfunded, but there is a paucity of data on the perspectives of researchers, funders, patients and the public about current funding paradigms. Understanding their priorities and opinions is important to guide meaningful innovation. Methods: The PERSPECT (Priorities & Expectations of Researchers, Donors, Patients and the Public Regarding the Funding & Conduct of Stroke Research) study involved in-depth, semi-structured one-on-one interviews with stroke researchers, funding organization representatives/philanthropists, patients, and members of the public. Participants were sampled using three axes (age, sex, ethnicity) to ensure diversity. They were asked to discuss thoughts about the state of stroke research funding and any potential or desired alternatives to current funding models. Qualitative analyses of transcripts included constant comparison and grounded theory content analysis. The study ended when the standard of thematic saturation was attained. Results: Forty-one interviews were completed (11 researchers, 10 research funders/philanthropists, 10 patients, 10 lay citizens). Researchers, philanthropists, patients, and public participants expressed a desire for greater transparency with grant funding processes, and voiced concerns that current models fostered bias towards certain topics and researchers. Patients and donors felt that conventional processes at times seemed disconnected from their interests. Crowdfunding was identified as an alternative strategy that could facilitate democratization in terms of topics studied, exploration of new frontiers, integration of diverse methods, and capacity building for less established researchers/centers. However, participants emphasized the importance of expert review, as in current processes, in building trust in proposal quality. They noted that successful crowdfunding strategies would require innovative approaches from researchers to promote their work. Conclusions: Our findings revealed stakeholder concerns about transparency and equity with current research funding paradigms. Stakeholders recognize crowdfunding as a useful alternative approach, but incorporation of expert review will be important to engender trust.

Comparing COVID–19 Budgeting Responses: New Budgeting Principles that Resulted from the Pandemic

This study provides a comparative analysis of the budget limits of the Commonwealth of Independent States members, focusing on fiscal responses to the COVID crisis and options for improving the structure. The methodology comprised a statistical approach based on assessments of macroeconomic indicators for 2020–2021, as well as world rankings and several measurement systems. The following new budgeting principles were formulated as a result of the comparative analysis of public administration. The proposed principles focus on monitoring, assessing, and forecast data of long‑term sustainability management and other fiscal risks. The proposed budgeting principles could provide a country with the new opportunities needed to expand its potential during further economic advancement in global politics. The central result of this work is a renewed approach to budget management using data on the actual economic situation and adaptability to changes. The proposed budget management scheme lays the foundation for the future development of a country’s potential and aligns with the priority goals of the CIS member states in terms of democracy. The value of this research lies in presenting and summarizing the analysis of the budget management system and the detailing of budgetary policies to identify and reflect the political priorities of countries. This helps formulate recommendations and suggestions for improving the budgetary process, achieving a balanced distribution of resources, and attaining strategic development goals. The practical application of the findings will allow budget policy specialists, economists, and statisticians to become familiar with the changes in the institutional landscape amid COVID–19 and assess the situation in their region through the prism of administrative sovereignties.

Democratic Evolution in Albania in the Aftermath of Candidate Country Status

The integration process in the European Union, being the major national goal, is the political action that leads the agenda of every Albanian government since 1992 up today. Being aware on the importance of integration process as the most efficient way towards the path of fast democratization, governments have undertaken concrete steps in the opening of accession negotiations. The integration process is in a very significant momentum which dictates dialogue and partnership. Every country that has set as a goal the EU integration, should respect the integration criteria’s or as known the ‘Copenhagen criteria’s’, on the basis under which the European Commission deliver the opinion in regard of every application. These criteria’s are defined during the European Council of Copenhagen in 1993 and accomplished during the European Council in Madrid in 1995. These are political criteria’s such as : stability of institutions which guarantee democracy, rule of law, human rights and respect and protection of minorities; economic criteria’s such as the existence of an efficient economy, capacity to challenge competition pressure and internal market forces of the EU; the opportunity to take responsibilities which derive by law and policies of the EU ( acquis communitaire). Stability, peace and the integration of the Western Balkan countries en block, play a fundamental role for the present and the future of Europe. Over the years, it has become more evident the necessity to strengthen the EU policies against countries of this region. Considering the geographic position of Albania in the Mediterranean and its importance in oftentimes weak spots within the region, it deserves a special attention by the European institutions. Since the candidate country’s status up to now, Albania has reached a moderate progress in terms of democracy shifting from a hybrid regime to a flawed democracy. Flawed democracy countries reflect a bold weakness in democratic terms, among others an underdeveloped political culture, low participation in political life and issues concerning governance. Civil rights are still problematic especially when it comes at media censorship or in attacks against country opposition.
 
 Received: 05 May 2022 / Accepted: 16 May 2023 / Published: 20 May 2023

An inquiry on rebel cities: How spatial morphology sets the stage for urban movements

The common thread to urban movements happening worldwide in recent years is the fact that urban public space is used as a significant setting by city dwellers for expressing their “objections”. What has been experienced throughout urban movements when public spaces have been occupied enables us to grasp the meaning of occupied spaces in the city thus allowing us to get to know societies and cities. Therefore, this research has investigated the impact of urban public space on the consciousness, interaction and gathering of city dwellers as well as urban movements. Within the scope of the research, eight “rebel cities” have been analyzed, and have interviews with participants of urban movements from these cities. These are Tunis, Cairo, Barcelona, London, New York, Dublin, Paris, and Hamburg, respectively. The places where urban movements were visible in urban space and their surroundings have been analyzed using the Space Syntax method, and the gathering/unification/integration potential of public space has been spatially investigated by determining the characteristics of urban patterns. Accordingly, the city affects the formation of urban movements with its spatial pattern. In the case of Merida city, which constitutes the control sample and which was not affected by the urban movements that spread to the whole world, this finding is also supported. With the results obtained in the research, the significance of public space, as an essential element contributing to the formation of urban movements, has been proven. This study further reveals the possibility of urban spaces allowing social encounters and its importance in terms of democracy.

Digitalization of welfare organizations for persons with intellectual disabilities: between democratic ideals, legitimacy and institutional logics

Information and communication technology (ICT) and digital media are less accessible for persons with intellectual disability (ID) but are important for citizenship. The aim was to conceptualize officials understanding of ICT usage among people with ID, and to analyze the possible influence of this understanding on the provision of services for people with ID. A qualitative study was conducted, using semi-structured interviews with municipal officials and politicians in the disability service area. Thematic analyses were conducted. ICT use is understood as an arena for democratization. Findings also illustrate the tension between integrity and protection as well as between legal and moral aspects of digital transformation in service provision. This understanding of digitalization is permeated by an individualized approach but conditioned by organizational issues. Disability services can be understood as undergoing digital transformation where regulative and normative elements in this area need to be harmonized to facilitate digitalization successfully.

Universal values and democracy

The current polemic revolves around many concepts that are involved in the shaping and remodeling of the world and its priorities. They are overlapping each other and most of the time are found controversial, if not the diametrical opposite of what is supposed to be humankind's evolution towards the best. This paper aims to elucidate through scholars’ different analyses and points of view, a valid definition of this very term of democracy. Democracy under American values and globalization is an attempt to subdue obliquely the rest. These values are important issues raised by superpowers of politics, and most of the time, they are but arguments, cues by which they exercise their will upon the very discreet nation-states as they are evolving. Keywords: Democracy; globalization; human; universal; values.

정치교육적 관점에서 본 제도변화의 정치와 정당민주화

This paper examines changes in the political parties and elections in terms of conflict and competition among various issues of political reform in Korea after democratization. The purpose is to examine the processes and political results. The reason for paying attention to these trends is to prepare a basis for review and evaluation of the extent to which political party institutional changes are responding to party democratization demands. If so, has the introduction of the national participation contest system reached a satisfactory level in terms of party democratization compared to before the introduction of the system? Did these institutional changs, which introduced an open candidate selection system called the ‘People’s Participation Competition’, bring about the democratization of political results? As a result of the analysis based on this awareness of the problem, it could be evaluated that each party achieved what they intended, especially in terms of representativeness. However, in terms of participation and responsiveness, it is confirmed that the results did not meet the expectations of the Korean political parties at the time of the introduction of the national primary system. In the case of participation, such a result was supported by low turnouts in the primaries, and in the case of responsiveness, unintended results were also supported through phenomena such as the weakening of the party's unity and the withdrawal of interest among candidates after participating in the primary. What should be noted is that the two aspects of participation and responsiveness are closely related to changes in the new environment in the Korean political process. In conclusion, we discussed what tasks can be presented from the perspective of democratization of political parties, and also considered how the political development of Korea through changes in the political system affects political education.

Communication and emotions: the art of distinguishing, processing, and reacting

The notion that emotion and media require more studies is undisputed. Media today are emotion generators: the football World Cup in Qatar, COVID-19 and the pandemic management in the global arena, the war between Russia and Ukraine, the influx of refugees on the Mediterranean coasts that cause tension between the European Union countries, and the latest Climate Change Convention hosted in Egypt (COP27) may fill us with anxiety, fear, and even worries. In addition, the news produced and shared through social media also impacts society, giving rise to primary emotions that, on many occasions, result in a reaction of acceptance, rejection, or even commitment. For example, the president of Ukraine seeks to develop positive feelings—empathy and compassion—on a global level with messages through social networks, such as: “We are grateful to everyone for supporting our values, for believing in Ukraine, and our victory. We feel that the world is supporting Ukraine, and this gives us strength in our struggle.” (@ZelenskyyuA, 5th of November 2022). This exemplifies the colossal variety of emotions presented and distinguished through media platforms and also evoked by its users all around the globe. These examples not only reveal the need to research emotions from an interdisciplinary lens—philosophy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, media, and communication—but also lead us to transcend interpretive barriers related to ethics and objectivity, understand the existing nuances in the new interactions between the media and the audience; where sometimes, the audience ends up being placed in the center of the scene. Returning to emotions, it is important to understand that they are presented as a fundamental component of social reality and they allow us to structure—in a certain sense, order—the world based on the distinction between closeness and distance. In this sense, according to the Communicative Theory of Emotions, we experience emotions when events occur that are important for our goals and plans; they represent events that challenge our primary narratives. On the other hand, collective emotions also play a central role in that process: it is thanks to an emotional distinction of the environment that social realities achieve importance. In other words, emotions configure our cognitive systems and our social interactions. Many emotions concern our relationships, and empathy is central to our experience and understanding. The analysis of emotions in the media also suggests that a variety of mechanisms is necessary to ensure that the standards of objectivity and professional ethics are respected in the media, where not everything that is presented seeks to impact the audience emotionally. For this, fresh and innovative ideas for news production and dissemination through news platforms are necessary as long as they meet the obligations of the press in terms of democracy and take into consideration the well-being of their workers, the journalists. It is too early to predict how the media influence the audience’s emotions because this implies making a cut of a specific period to better understand the environment in which news and reactions occur. Yet one could confidently assume that the existing boundaries of media policies and social and ideological debates across countries are likely to determine the receptivity to specific proposals and suggest a diversity of emotional reactions where, for example, the hate discourse is gaining leadership, and it deserves further research. In addition, the coverage of gender violence is still a topic that deserves more attention in how it is presented in media—victimization, revictimization, victims’ empowerment, and how the readers react to them: empathy, pain, rejection, and disinterest. Time will tell how the media and emotions are taking more space in our lives and how we develop self-awareness about that. I hope readers find this issue useful, inspiring, and challenging in different disciplines and contexts.

The political construction of the ‘citizen turn’ in the EU: disintermediation and depoliticisation in the Conference on the Future of Europe

ABSTRACT The EU has recently organised a series of ‘citizen-centred’ processes that may be indicative of a new pattern in terms of democracy and participation. The article begins with this observation in order to pose the following question: to what extent the introduction of ‘citizen participation’ mechanisms in the Conference on the Future of Europe reflects a rupture with the EU’s dominant understanding of democracy? While there are innovative elements in the Conference, which are described in detail, the article develops a normative critique of the underlying philosophy with which it was organised and constructed, as it followed an alternative legitimacy logic that fundamentally deviates from an agonistic public sphere perspective. The Conference illustrates a ‘citizen turn’ that breaks away from the ‘participatory turn’ described by Saurugger (2010) in that it decouples ‘citizen participation’ from civil society and the idea of a European public sphere, both in discursive terms as well as in the ensuing political practices. The article concludes with a wider conceptualisation of what the ‘citizen turn’ means for EU democracy, and why the disintermediation of European politics is coherent with the preexistent depoliticised EU political dynamics, conceived in the case of the Conference as ‘democracy without politics’.

Teaching as a pedagogical responsibility: an introduction

ABSTRACT In this special issue, the research interest is focused on classroom activities. To adequately understand and examine the classroom situation, the wholeness and complexity of the teaching situation should be maintained and paid attention as much as possible throughout the research process. In dialogues and comparisons between the German concept of Didaktik and the American concepts of curriculum theory and pedagogy, the differences between a European, continental, and Anglo-Saxon conceptualization of education often have been emphasized. Inspired by both the German tradition of Bildung and the American philosophy of pragmatism, we here understand classroom activity as communication on selected parts of collective knowledge and social culture, shaping the conditions for both the continuity and renewal of society. Furthermore, the concept of didactics is viewed as the conceptualization of empirically based pedagogical problems in classrooms. Even if both the traditions of Bildung and pragmatism embrace a reflective approach, Dewey’s pragmatism places more emphasis on freedom and openness in terms of communication across social boundaries and on a mutual dependency between education and democracy. In terms of democracy, a Deweyan view of pragmatism could thus contribute to the German didactic tradition and the meanings of the concepts of didactics and pedagogical responsibility.

Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia

Despite independent Kazakhstan’s close ties to Russia based on geographic proximity, economic interdependence, formal treaties of mutual cooperation, and a shared linguistic and historic heritage, the viability of these ties is being tested by events of the past year and in particular, by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Due to the widespread proficiency in the Russian language in all three countries, through internet access and social media, the people of Kazakhstan are able to access not only the Russian perspective of the war, but also that of the Ukrainian people. Internationally, Kazakhstan’s leaders are attempting to maintain a delicate balance vis-à-vis Russia, ensuring on the one hand that their alliance based on mutual interests and a common history is not endangered, yet needing on the other hand to appear credible and responsible in the eyes of European and Western powers in view of their long-term strategic plans for Kazakhstan’s development as a major player in Eurasian affairs. The analysis by Maerz (2019) posits that autocratic regimes such as those in Russia and Central Asia tend to use democratic terms in a way which only simulates pluralism by camouflaging their actual intent. All parties to international negotiations, including interpreters, need to be aware of these linguistic practices to properly understand and convey the actual message. The delicacy of this balancing act highlights the need for translators and interpreters employed at international negotiations and encounters to be aware of the historical precedents as well as the current ideologies and contemporary status of relations between the parties involved. Translations cannot be rendered solely according to linguistic equivalents, as identical terms can transmit divergent meanings when seen through the lens of a different heritage or ideology. The stakes at such international encounters are extraordinarily high: nothing less than stability, prosperity, and world peace. This argues for the importance of offering professional development opportunities for translators and interpreters to maintain their awareness of the nuanced issues in play. There is a need to acknowledge the crucial role and need of these professional communicators to constantly maintain their knowledge of the social and political context.

The ethics of artificial intelligence, UNESCO and the African Ubuntu perspective

PurposeThis paper aims to demonstrate the relevance of worldviews of the global south to debates of artificial intelligence, enhancing the human rights debate on artificial intelligence (AI) and critically reviewing the paper of UNESCO Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) that preceded the drafting of the UNESCO guidelines on AI. Different value systems may lead to different choices in programming and application of AI. Programming languages may acerbate existing biases as a people’s worldview is captured in its language. What are the implications for AI when seen from a collective ontology? Ubuntu (I am a person through other persons) starts from collective morals rather than individual ethics.Design/methodology/approachLiterature overview on the African philosophy of Ubuntu as applied to artificial intelligence. Application of it to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) debates on establishing guidelines to the ethics of artificial intelligence.FindingsMetaphysically, Ubuntu and its conception of social personhood (attained during one’s life) largely rejects transhumanism. When confronted with economic choices, Ubuntu favors sharing above competition and thus an anticapitalist logic of equitable distribution of AI benefits, humaneness and nonexploitation. When confronted with issues of privacy, Ubuntu emphasizes transparency to group members, rather than individual privacy, yet it calls for stronger (group privacy) protection. In democratic terms, it promotes consensus decision-making over representative democracy. Certain applications of AI may be more controversial in Africa than in other parts of the world, like care for the elderly, that deserve the utmost respect and attention, and which builds moral personhood. At the same time, AI may be helpful, as care from the home and community is encouraged from an Ubuntu perspective. The report on AI and ethics of the UNESCO World COMEST formulated principles as input, which are analyzed from the African ontological point of view. COMEST departs from “universal” concepts of individual human rights, sustainability and good governance which are not necessarily fully compatible with relatedness, including future and past generations. Next to rules based approaches, which may hamper diversity, bottom-up approaches are needed with intercultural deep learning algorithms.Research limitations/implicationsThere is very few existing literature on AI and Ubuntu. Therefore, this paper is of an explorative nature.Practical implicationsThe ethics of Ubuntu offers unique vantage points in looking at the organization of society and economics today, which are also relevant for development of AI, especially in its tenet of relatedness rather than individuality (and practical use of AI for individuals), taking responsibility for society as a whole (such as analyzing the benefit of AI for all strata of society), and embodying true inclusiveness. Whether looking at top-down guidelines for the development and implementation of AI or the bottom-up ethical learning process of AI (deep learning), ethics of the Global South can have an important role to play to combat global individualist tendencies and inequity, likely reinforced by AI. This warrants far more research.Social implicationsApplications of AI in Africa are not contextualized, do not address the most pressing needs of the African continent, lead to cybersecurity issues and also do not incorporate African ethics. UNESCO’s work in this regard is important but expert inputs are largely centered around Western “universal” principles and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and EU precedence. African ethics have, so far, a small role to play in global ethics and philosophy and therefore risk to be overlooked in the discussion on AI and ethics. This is why the consultation process of UNESCO on ethics of AI was of paramount importance. However, it does not automatically lead to consultation of African philosophers or sages, as many are educated in Western (ized) education systems. See further details under practical implications.Originality/valueThis is a new area of research in which little work has been done so far. This paper offers the opportunity to widen the debate on AI and ethics beyond the conventional discourse, involving multiple worldviews, of which Ubuntu is just one.

Democratic Central Banking: Power Not Deliberation

Abstract Eric Monnet’s piece, “Democratic consequences of the insurance functions of central banks,” starts in exactly the right place. Monnet acutely observes some of the most fundamental issues with the dominant contemporary monetary policymaking regime. Most foundationally, he observes a gap between what central banks do and how they are legitimized. The consequence, in short, is a failure of the contemporary regime to justify itself on democratic terms. To overcome this failure, Monnet proposes an institutional reform—establishing a European Credit Council (ECC). He defends this proposal by appeal to democratic theory, particularly the literature on democratic theory that prizes ‘good deliberation’. While there is nothing wrong with Monnet’s claim that establishing an ECC would likely improve the quality of deliberation about the role of central banks, and in so doing, produce better policy, I argue here that this view misses something essential. Democracy requires more than accountability, transparency, and good deliberation. It requires democratic power: the power of the people and their elected officials to steer policy. Adopting this view of democracy, in contrast to the deliberative democratic view Monnet embraces, suggests a different set of required reforms. Instead of establishing an independent credit council, I suggest that we should be vesting stronger monetary policy guidance powers in existing democratic legislative bodies.

PARLIAMENTARISM, RATIONALIZED PARLIAMENTARISM AND APPLICABILITY IN TURKEY

Many explanations and interpretations about the origin, history and nature of the separation of powers doctrine show that the democratic value of the parliamentary government system is at a high level. Indeed, in contrary to the general knowledge, not only the presidency system but also the parliamentary government system keeps its democratic value at high level in many aspects and establishes a brake and balance mechanism between the powers. This study discusses the features of the parliamentary system, especially the rationalized parliamentary system, and the possibility of its applicability in Turkey. The study reveals that, for Turkey, the system inspired by the presidential system, which is called the Presidential Government System is more convenient than the parliamentary system in terms of breaking down democracy, and this brings deficiencies in terms of democracy as a whole, especially on the constitutional system including the fundamental rights and freedoms. In analysing the subject, the study argues that the capability of the rationalized parliamentary system which is a form of the parliamentary government system to provide inducement in bolstering the democracy in Turkey should be earnestly contemplated considering that the legislative, executive and judiciary powers that define the pure presidency system lack independence in terms of the power and influence map. It is claimed that the inducements created by the parliamentary system may offend democracy as well as strengthen the brake and balance mechanism between the powers. In this context, we briefly addressed the historical precedents of the current types of the parliamentary government, and we emphasized the presence of various different types of parliamentarism while discussing the main characteristics of the parliamentarism. We have also attempted to review the empirical evidence on which the answer to this question may be based for Turkey around the question of whether it is superior or more stable than presidential forms as a system of government. Here, we sometimes evaluated the deficiencies in the Presidential Government System. In this respect, we have tried to emphasize the importance of designing a rationalized form if Turkey is to adopt the parliamentary system. We said that by doing so, Turkey would have attained a higher level of constitutional fiction in terms of its democratic value and brake and balance system

Formation of Transversal Competences of Future Economists in the Conditions of Digital Space

The article emphasizes the importance of economic education as a part of general education, in terms of market transformations and democratization of society. It is established that the concept of “transversal competence” is not sufficiently developed by European scientists. It is specified that transversal competence is a universal competence and a new format of an educator’s experience. The articles mention that Digital Skills is a composite transversal competence of educators. It is proposed to take into account the increase of digital skills in the formation of transformational competencies of educators in the digital space using various forms and methods of improving digital skills. Such methods as Web Quest and the use of such Internet applications: Simple Note, Flash card, Quick Math, Duo Lingo, Animation en volume pro, Puppet Pals, Pixton, Vialoguas, digital workspace, Pear Deck, Padlet, Kahoot, social networks, messengers and email.

Selected Issues of (Good) Governance in North American Professional Sports Leagues

In recent years, sport governing bodies (SGB) have been the subject of serious questions regarding their governance structures and decision-making processes. SGB that fail to implement regulatory mechanisms and to improve their governance structures and processes risk being confronted with severe ethically sensitive issues outside and inside the fields, which may eventually result in negative publicity and reduced demand (e.g., fans, sponsors) or financial support (e.g., from governments). This study examines selected regulations and practices of North American professional sports leagues in light of good governance principles. By adopting a qualitative research design, we investigate if there is a need for reforms to be employed by the leagues to comply with core dimensions of governance and thus reduce the risk of not being prepared to deal with ethically sensitive issues that may come up. Our critical analysis suggests that essential reforms need to be employed by the leagues to comply with core principles of good governance. In terms of democracy, professional leagues need to recognise stakeholder interests, implement innovative participation mechanisms, and apply diversity and inclusion policies for board composition. On transparency, it is required to publish internal regulations and financial information despite lax regulations on disclosure policies in the United States. Concerning accountability, professional leagues should separate their disciplinary and executive branches to avoid the concentration of power and potential conflict of interest in the relationship between the commissioner and team owners.

Choice, Negotiation, and Pluralism: a Conceptual Framework for Participatory Technologies in Museum Collections

In an era of big data and fake news, museums’ collection practices are particularly important democratic cornerstones. Participatory technologies such as crowdsourcing or wikis have been put forward as a means to make museum collections more open and searchable, motivated by a desire for efficiency but also as a way to engage the public in the development of a more diverse and polyphonic heritage. However, there is a lack of a nuanced vocabulary to describe participatory technologies in terms of democracy. Without a deeper understanding of how technology shapes the overall structures, there is a risk that the tools instead undermine democratic ambitions.Addressing the need to conceptualize democracy in these contexts, we therefore develop a framework for participatory technologies with an eye toward the long-term development and preservation of cultural heritage. In this framework different democratic processes intersect with democratic values, from a liberal conception of democracy to a more deliberative democracy, to an agonistic pluralism emphasizing the importance of acknowledging conflict and diversity.To firmly ground our vocabulary in museum collection practices, we have investigated two cases from museums in the US that have opposite participatory strategies for enriching images with metadata; the Smithsonian Transcription Center, and the National Gallery of Art collection on Wikimedia Commons. These cases demonstrate how the framework can be used to identify patterns of participation showing the support for different values and processes.Furthermore, our conceptual investigation points out a contradiction in Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) research, between the pluralism and conflicts emphasized in more critical and participatory design perspectives used in the development of design, and the features in the actual design of participatory technologies, emphasizing consistency and access.