Political Dimensions Research Articles

Regional Governance Based on Public Value: Study in East Ogan Komering Ulu Regency Government, Indonesia

Background: In East Ogan Komering Ulu Regency, the concept of Public Value seems to have been considered even though it is not yet optimal, due to low transparency and accountability, and basic infrastructure that has not been fully fulfilled. To overcome this challenge, cooperation between government, society and the private sector is needed to improve infrastructure, increase participation and develop human resources, so that public services can be more in line with the principles of Public Value. Theoretical Foundation: Public value is reflected in society's evaluation of organizations, services, and programs, based on strategic principles such as Mark Moore's Strategy Trilogy. The public management and policy perspective emphasizes the effectiveness and efficiency of public services. Public sector managers must maintain a balance between service, benefits and trust to create optimal public value. Political, procedural and balance dimensions with the external environment are also important in shaping public values. The concept of public value includes strategic, political and operational aspects, takes into account the needs and aspirations of society and requires a deep understanding of the relationship between inputs, production processes, outputs, clients and desired social outcomes. Method: This research uses a qualitative phenomenological approach to understand the public's experience of public value -based governance in the East Ogan Komering Ulu Regency Government. Data was obtained through interviews, observation and documentation, with analysis using the Miles and Huberman method. Research Results: Even though East Ogan Komering Ulu Regency has adopted the Public Value concept in its governance, research highlights limitations that hinder its optimal implementation. Community participation is recognized as key to relevant policies, but the main challenge is a lack of transparency and accountability. Increasing public participation, transparency, accountability and governance is essential in realizing Public Value effectively. Further steps are needed to ensure policies reflect community needs and improve the quality of public services, supporting community progress and prosperity. Research Implications: Research findings provide valuable insights for refining the Public Value theory proposed by (O'Flynn, 2007) . It was found that the dimensions of legitimacy and support, operational capability, and substantial value alone were not enough to create Public Value in the research location. Therefore, there needs to be dimensions of participation, transparency and accountability to create Public Value. Research Originality: Public Value creation does not only depend on dimensions such as legitimacy, support, operational capabilities, and substantial value. Additional factors are also needed such as participation, transparency and accountability so that the creation of Public Value can be optimal.

Indonesia Paradox on Plastic Waste Import in International Policy and Social Movement Perspective

Indonesia, recognized as the second largest marine polluter globally, faces a significant environmental crisis despite stringent international policies and vigorous social movements advocating for sustainability. According to data from INAPLAS and BPS, Indonesia generates 64 million tons of plastic waste annually, with 3.2 million tons ending up in the sea. The waste management system in Indonesia is rudimentary, involving basic stages of collection, transportation, and disposal, with processing occurring only at the final destination. Amidst this waste crisis, Indonesia continues to import plastic waste from countries such as the United States, Germany, Australia, and Hong Kong, exacerbating the environmental and health hazards. This paper explores the paradox of plastic waste import in Indonesia, focusing on how international policies, including the Basel Convention and its recent amendments, intersect with local regulations and their enforcement. It also examines the role of social movements in combating plastic waste imports and advocating for environmental sustainability. The central problem addressed is the regulatory and social polemic surrounding waste importation in Indonesia, considering the social, political, and legal dimensions. Employing a conceptual and statute approach, the paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the waste import regulation issues linked to social problems within Indonesian society. It argues that the complexity of international trade, economic incentives, and insufficient regulation enforcement contribute to the paradoxical situation where policies and advocacy efforts seem misaligned with outcomes. The findings offer social and juridical recommendations for the Indonesian government and society to address the waste import dilemma effectively. By aligning policies with environmental goals and leveraging social movements, Indonesia can drive significant change towards sustainable waste management practices.

SFRJ, SAD i hapšenje jednog hrvatskog emigranta 1980. godine

The article examines the arrest of Croatian political emigrant Mirko Markotić in May 1980 and its ramifications on Yugoslav-American relations. It delves into the legal and political dimensions of this case, primarily drawing from archival materials sourced from the Archives of Yugoslavia and the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia.

TACO: A Turkish database for abstract concepts.

The organization of abstract concepts reflects different dimensions, grounded in the brain regions coding for the corresponding experience. Normative measures of linguistic stimuli offer noteworthy insights into the organization of conceptual knowledge, but studies differ in the dimensions and classes of concepts considered. Additionally, most of the available information has been collected in English, without considering possible linguistic and cultural differences. Here, we aimed to create a comprehensive Turkish database for abstract concepts (TACO), including rarely investigated classes such as political concepts. We included 503 words-78 concrete (fruits, animals, tools) and 425 abstract (emotions, social, mental states, theoretical, quantity, space, political)-rated by 134 Turkish speakers for familiarity, imageability, age of acquisition, valence, arousal, quantity, space, theoretical, social, mental state, and political dimensions. We calculated dominance and exclusivity, indicating the dimension receiving the highest mean score for each word, and the position of the word along the unidimensional-multidimensional continuum, respectively. A principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on the semantic dimensions. The results showed that mental state was the dominant dimension for most concepts. Moderate to low levels of exclusivity indicated that the concepts were multidimensional. PCA revealed three components: Component 1 captured the juxtaposition between social/mental state and magnitude polarities, Component 2 highlighted affective components, and Component 3 grouped together political and theoretical dimensions. The introduction of political concepts provided insights into the multidimensional nature of this unexplored class, closely intertwined with the theoretical dimension. TACO constitutes the first comprehensive Turkish database covering several abstract dimensions, paving the way for cross-linguistic and cross-cultural studies of semantic representations.

Islamic Boarding School as an Ecosystem for Religious Moderation Education in The Madura Society

This research is directed at discussing the emerging religious education ecosystem in Madurese society. Throughout its journey, Islamic boarding schools have become an integral part of Madurese society, encompassing social, cultural, religious, political, and economic aspects. To assemble all the codified data necessary to communicate the primary objective of this research, interviews, observations, and documentation were utilized as data collection sources. Subsequently, the study analysis was formulated descriptively, employing a cultural anthropological approach. Through comprehensive analysis in research, it was revealed that the religious moderation education system in Madurese society occurs on the basis of cultural openness. The openness in Islamic boarding school life is fostered by the social, cultural, and political aspects that evolve and establish a tradition. The togetherness of life in Islamic boarding schools serves as the main benchmark for embracing the presence of others as fellow brothers, comprising social, cultural, and political dimensions.

Trauma‐informed lawyering in the context of civil claims for sexual violence

AbstractOver the last decade, there has been an increase in civil compensation claims for sexual violence in the United Kingdom (UK). Given that trauma‐informed approaches have been called for in relation to legal responses to sexual violence, we put forward seven key principles of trauma‐informed lawyering in this context and draw on interviews with UK‐based civil lawyers who represented sexual violence survivors to explore the extent to which trauma‐informed work is taking place. While we found that our sample of lawyers typically had a very good knowledge of sexual violence and the trauma that it can cause, there was less certainty about how to accommodate the impacts in practice. Moreover, there was a tendency to prioritize individual healing and medicalize a form of social injustice. We conclude by emphasizing the need for legal training and education on a trauma‐informed approach that accounts for the social and political dimensions of sexual violence and trauma.

The Prince of the Abrolhos, 2020–2023: On Micronations and Pseudolaw in Western Australia

This article examines the Houtman Abrolhos Micro Nation, established by Kristin MacDonald, a Western Australian man, in 2020. The article draws on media reports and documents prepared by the ‘prince’ in support of his legal claims. Notwithstanding a curious attempt to draw support from the neighbouring micronation of New Westralia, MacDonald’s claims were quickly dismissed by the Geraldton Magistrates Court in 2023, and the micronation has ceased to operate. Nevertheless, its brief existence demonstrates the continuing allure of micronationalism and pseudolaw for some individuals who have allowed what they perceive to be a personal injustice to take on a political dimension.

The Sustainable Development Strategy of Nahdlatul Ulama: A Century of Commitment to Globalization Advancement

This research explores the sustainable development strategy employed by Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), a prominent Islamic organization in Indonesia, over the past century. NU, founded in 1926, has played a crucial role in promoting education, social welfare, and economic development nationwide. Rooted in Islamic values, NU has demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainable development, encompassing social and political dimensions. Through active participation from community members and governmental bodies, NU has implemented various initiatives aimed at enhancing social welfare and political advancement. This research examines NU's sustainable development efforts, highlighting its long-standing dedication to fostering inclusive and sustainable progress in Indonesian society.

Treading carefully: the environment and political participation in science education

Politics and science are inextricably connected, particularly in relation to the climate emergency and other environmental crises, yet science education is an often overlooked site for engaging with the political dimensions of environmental issues. This study examines how science teachers in England experience politics—specifically political participation—in relation to the environment in school science, against a background of increased obstruction in civic space. The study draws on an analysis of theoretically informed in-depth interviews with eleven science teachers about their experiences of political participation in relation to environmental issues. We find that politics enters the science classroom primarily through informal conversations initiated by students rather than planned by teachers. When planned for, the emphasis is on individual, latent–political (civic) engagement rather than manifest political participation. We argue that this is a symptom of the post-political condition and call for a more enabling environment for discussing the strengths and limitations of different forms of political participation in school science.

Struggling for access in the global era: the cases of edamame and rice agriculture in rural Thailand

ABSTRACT Recent research has shown that adopting a cooperative approach in agricultural production and exchange can be an effective and sustainable method in agri-food supply chains (SCs). However, existing studies have primarily focused on treating institutions as organizational components of agricultural production and exchange, with little attention given to the power dynamics inherent in agri-food collaboration. To bridge this gap, this study has integrated perspectives from new institutional economics (NIE) and political ecology. In particular, this study has drawn on the concept of “a bundle of powers” introduced by Ribot and Peluso (2003) in the “theory of access” framework. In this paper, I investigate the power dimensions of collaboration within agri-food SCs, emphasizing the importance of understanding the political relationships of agri-food production. My findings demonstrate that, while the networking between farmers and the edamame SC tends to be more socially sustainable, interactions with the rice SC have occasionally led to adverse outcomes such as indebtedness and impeded rice farming. These findings underscore the significance of taking into account the political and power dimensions of the agri-SC to comprehend and tackle the challenges encountered by farmers in their cultivation decisions.

Green gross domestic product: A bibliometric analysis

AbstractGreen gross domestic product (GGDP) is a measure of economic performance that takes into account environmental aspects. This paper analyses the bibliographic data of 1321 articles retrieved from the Scopus database to shed some light on the GGDP literature for the past 47 years (1976–2022). Using VOSviewer, a combination of performance analysis (publication trend, top authors, top countries, top journals) and science mapping techniques (co‐citation and co‐occurrence) were employed. The co‐citation analysis reveals three thematic clusters, namely: (1) political and social science dimensions of social and environmental reporting, (2) environmental disclosures, and (3) systematic review of social and environmental accounts. The co‐occurrence analysis indicates a trend towards climate change and corporate governance, with a notable shift in focus from European and Eurasian countries to China. More importantly, this study offers valuable insights into the growing body of literature on GGDP, while emphasising the need for greater geographical representation and collaboration to advance the field.

Violent demonstrations in marginal territories and their place in politics: A case study in Lo Hermida, Santiago de Chile

This article aims to investigate violent demonstrations in marginal territories of Santiago de Chile and their political dimension, studying the territorial deployment of structural violence, transgressive protest actions, and subjectivation processes. These three dimensions tell us about the political, social, and territorial intertwining of violent demonstrations, based on Jacques Rancière's framework. We conducted a case study in Lo Hermida, a highly politicized self-constructed neighborhood born in the 1970s that is currently surrounded by transportation infrastructure and upscale urban developments. Using secondary sources, semi-structured interviews, and photo-elicitation with 14 residents of Lo Hermida, we show the way in which structural violence is experienced across the territory, how transgressive protest actions are carried out in violent demonstrations throughout it, and how processes of political subjectivation unfold from this. The conclusions emphasize the incorporation of the political-subjective dimension in the understanding of violence in marginal territories, highlighting its emergent characteristics in space.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of ChatGPT’s Role in Knowledge and Power Production

Based on the significance and role of ChatGPT in the power and knowledge production, this research aims to display how ChatGPT responds to questions that are by nature controversial and debatable, as their values depend on the agency or power that answers them. The main question of this work is whether this artificial intellegince model is influenced by any discourse(s). The approaches employed in this work are Michel Foucault’s discourse analysis and Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis. It is contended that discourses are ubiquitously everywhere in social practices. To Fairclough and Foucault, language production is strongly connected to power and knowledge production. Therefore, utilising a qualitative method in the examination, the work wishes to identify the discourse(s) that can affect ChatGPT’s responses and discuss its implications for knowledge and power production. The research discovered that ChatGPT’s answers unveiled a prejudice towards capitalist discourse, established knowledge, and suppressed alternative opinions. Also, the definitions of capitalism and communism by ChatGPT were insufficient because the political and ideological dimensions of capitalism were ignored, which can be considered major findings of this present work regarding the two selected systems. This indicates that ChatGPT’s knowledge production, an example or model from the ongoing technological revolution, cannot be relied on for being biased in its responses.

Picasso without Guernica: Mexico, 1944

The analysis of a temporary exhibition allows us to study how a particular project is inflected by cultural ideas (in this case also aesthetic ideas) and, above all, by cultural policies, i.e. museum practices and the socio-cultural and diplomatic contexts that explain the realization and morphology of a curatorial concept. In order to bring about an individual exhibition of exclusive works by Pablo Picasso in Mexico in 1944 a Society of Modern Art was founded, a private organization that copied the U.S. model of cultural mediation. This foundation was a product of bilateral financing by two powerful institutions, the Galería de Arte Mexicano owned by Inés Amor, and the MoMA, directed by Alfred H. Barr. Because of the political situation during the Second World War, the alliances between Mexico and the U.S. played a significant role. Based on a review of archival documentation and press articles of this period I attempt a reconstruction of the historical process of managing this temporary exhibition, understood as a spatial construction of political power in the collective imagination. This Mexican exhibition of works by an outstanding global artist has not been studied in terms of the messages and intentions conveyed by an ephemeral collection of objects that was deprived of its political anti-fascist dimension due to the exclusion of Guernica, which reduced it to an exhibition of avant-garde art. Guernica was not shown in Mexico for reasons that include U.S. anti-communism, Barr's desire to attract reflection towards the plastic values of Picasso's work and neutralize its potential for political resistance, and external conditions driven by internal struggles among Spanish Republicans.

Neglecting the poor and marginalized: Participatory village governance in Indonesia's New Developmentalist state

AbstractMotivationsParticipatory governance is commonly implemented as an ad hoc programme to empower the citizen. In limited cases, such as Indonesia, it is institutionalized into the state bureaucracy and implemented nationwide. However, implemented by a New Developmentalist regime that is nationalistic and centralistic in its governance approach, the effectiveness of participatory institutions for overcoming issues of poverty and marginality is under question.PurposesDrawing from case studies on the implementation of the New Village Law in Indonesia, this article critically examines how the Participatory Village Governance policy has been designed and implemented by the New Developmentalist regime to address issues of poverty and marginality.MethodsThis article is based on a field monitoring study of the implementation of the Village Law at the village level, and supplemented by qualitative interviews at the village, district, and national levels with the implementing agencies of the participatory institutions and the broader community.FindingThe research findings show that the new policy of Participatory Village Governance has a narrow focus on the village economy and infrastructure to serve the interests of the New Developmentalist regime of Joko Widodo rather than the interests of the people of the village. The centralistic approach in the implementation of the new policy has also overlooked the issues of poverty and marginality, dampening the true potentials of the participatory approach.Policy implicationThe participatory approach in development and governance has huge potential, including the addressing of poverty and marginality issues. However, a centralistic approach in design and implementation, removing the political dimension of participatory approach, can jeopardize the possible outcomes. It is advised that participatory governance must be equipped with its very fundamental components, namely, political empowerment.

Re-learning culture in cities beyond the West

Urban scholars have long engaged with the role of culture in cities. Tracing this debate, this article outlines the evolutions of culture as an object of study in inquiries on the urban and wishes to trouble two persisting trends in this literature. The first is a geographical and theoretical Eurocentric vision of culture, often framing cities beyond the West as exceptions or needing validation through a comparison with a Western case or theoretical model; the second is an economistic vision of culture under neoliberalism, neglecting the political and ideological dimensions of culture. As a step in overcoming these limitations, this article builds around the notion of ‘re-learning’, to re-insert memory, informality and conflicting heritage into the debate on culture in cities. Drawing on an ethnography of the street ‘Avenida 26’ in Bogotá, Colombia, the article shows that informal cultural practices in the middle of segregation and urban violence can hardly be grasped through the current framing of culture in cities. Yet, they invite an opening up of such a framing to include different ways to cohabit and navigate space through everyday minor engagements. These multifaceted cultural realities urge us to ‘re-learn’ culture in cities anywhere and advance theorisation on culture that takes non-Western urban spaces seriously.

Exploring the nexus of agricultural policy reforms and food security

Agricultural policies play a critical role in determining the availability and stability of food supplies for individuals and communities. This study underscores the importance of incorporating social, economic, environmental, and political dimensions of food security when developing agricultural policy reforms. The study has two main objectives: (1) to disentangle the complexity surrounding food security by mapping policy reform decisions onto a suggested framework, and (2) to provide an empirical basis for analyzing food security using frame package analysis. To achieve these objectives, this study conducted an inductive frame analysis of agricultural policy reforms, using the theoretical framework of the “fractured consensus” regarding the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy). The case of Israel was chosen as an empirical example for the frame package analysis. The extended suggested theoretical framework can contribute to enhancing the research literature on the nexus between agricultural policy reforms and food security from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Additionally, the proposed framework and its application can serve as a benchmark for evaluating agricultural policy reforms in the context of food security and developing practical strategies in the agri-food sector, considering the involvement of multiple players and interests.

Nietzsche and the Birth of Joker

In The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche employs the dichotomy of Apollonian and Dionysian to explain artistic phenomena. The film Joker shows the origin story of the Joker, a comic-book supervillain. This paper offers a reading of Joker through Nietzsche’s ideas from The Birth of Tragedy. By doing so, it aims to achieve three things: first, to demonstrate the relevance of Nietzsche’s aesthetic theory in analyzing culture; second, to reveal the political dimension of Nietzsche’s thought in The Birth of Tragedy; and third, to shed light on the ominous implications of Joker’s popularity.

Regional transformation pathways for the bioeconomy: A novel monitoring approach for complex transitions

AbstractAddressing the complexities of transitioning to a sustainable bioeconomy, this paper presents a novel approach for developing regional transformation pathways (RTPs) based on narratives derived from the shared socioeconomic pathways. The methodology emphasizes a comprehensive understanding of underlying perspectives and perceptions, incorporating socio‐economic, environmental, and political dimensions. The developed indicator framework captures a balanced representation of diverse interests by integrating insights from stakeholder analyses. The case study in the Rheinisches Revier region, Germany, exemplifies the approach's applicability, providing valuable insights for decision‐making processes in the context of regional transitions toward a low‐carbon economy. The results consist of five developed RTPs, offering a multitude of potential future trajectories of possible directions for regional transformations. Understanding potential pathways and related consequences is crucial for informed decision‐making concerning resource use optimization since transformations of that scale influence the composition of supply chains and resource networks. This informed approach contributes to strategic planning and helps ensure resources are utilized efficiently and sustainably. By emphasizing the crucial role of transparency and reflection of assumptions in addressing the complexities of societal transformation processes, our approach seeks to support the implementation of a sustainable and inclusive bioeconomy at the regional level.

Democratic quality and excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between democratic quality and excess mortality produced in the year 2020 before COVID-19 vaccinations were generalised. Using cross-sectional data from 80 countries on five continents, multiple linear regression models between excess mortality, the general democracy index and its disaggregation into five categories: electoral process and pluralism, government functioning, political participation, political culture and civil liberties were estimated. The analysis also considered, public health spending per capita, overweight inhabitants, the average temperature of the country, population over 65 years of age, The KOF Globalisation Index, and the Gross National Income per capita as control variables. It was possible to establish a strong inverse association between excess mortality per million inhabitants and the general democracy index and four of its five categories. There was a particularly strong relationship between excess mortality and the political culture dimension (−326.50, p < 0.001). The results suggest that the higher the democratic quality of the political institutions of a State and particularly of their political culture the more improved the response and management of the pandemic was in preventing deaths and protecting their citizens more effectively. Conversely, countries with lower democracy index values have higher excess mortality. Quality democratic political institutions provide more effective public health policies in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.