Crisis Of Governance Research Articles

SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE DIMENSIONS OF COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AT WAR TIME (BASED ON THE RESULTS OF A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ANALYSIS)

The article is devoted to studying community resilience in the context of war in Ukraine. It analyzes both subjective and objective dimensions of resilience that affect the ability of local communities to adapt to crisis conditions. The empirical foundation of the research consists of interviews and focus groups with representatives of executive and local authorities, the public sector, business, volunteer organizations, and informal initiatives, conducted within the framework of the Polish-Ukrainian research grant «Multilevel governance of the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian aggression on Ukraine, using examples from the Lublin Voivodeship (PL) and the Volyn Oblast (UA)» (funded by NAWA). Subjective aspects of resilience encompass public perceptions, trust among community members, and emotional resilience, which is manifested in people's willingness to support one another. Objective dimensions include infrastructural, economic, and social resources that contribute to recovery after crises. The results indicate that distinguishing between subjective and objective aspects of resilience is an effective tool for developing policies capable of supporting communities in wartime. This article aims to contribute to the understanding of the complexity of community resilience in times of crisis and social instability.

Slum clearance in a ‘semi-colony’: coercion and restraint in policing practices in 1930s Shanghai

Abstract Slum clearances expose hostility between municipal authorities and residents fighting to claim urban space. In colonial contexts, these processes created conflicts between rulers and the ruled. Focusing on the ‘semi-colonial’ Shanghai International Settlement, this article examines interactions between the Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) and slum-dwellers amid an evolving crisis of urban governance in the 1930s. This case-study, grounded in Shanghai’s complex socio-political climate, reveals how ordinary Chinese residents negotiated with the authorities and points to the frailties of semi-colonial governance, showing how the SMP deployed coercion only when it was unavoidable in slum clearances.

The role of discretion and street‐level deliberative practices in the COVID‐19 crisis response: Lessons from the Philippines

AbstractThis study investigates the role of frontline workers, such as the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) in the Philippines, as street‐level bureaucrats (SLBs) in implementing COVID‐19 community quarantine policies. Drawing from SLB theory and deliberative policy analysis (DPA), I explore how SLBs adapted to rapidly changing conditions by exercising discretion in interpreting and adapting the implementation of nationally formulated pandemic management policies to meet local realities. I argue that SLBs functioned as deliberative practitioners, mediating between national policies and local realities while engaging in deliberative practices with their clients. Using the experience of BHERTs in Palompon, Leyte in the Philippines as an illustrative case, I identified the policy mandates (policy‐as‐written) of the BHERTs; the challenges and constraints they faced in implementing community quarantine policies; and the discretion they exercised in implementing community quarantine policies (policy‐as‐practiced). The findings reveal that, to meet their policy mandates and address the challenges they faced, they engaged in deliberative practices and collaborated with citizens in implementing context‐specific and creative strategies. Insights from this study highlight the adaptive and deliberative potential of SLBs in crisis situations and the value of a DPA in understanding SLB theory and research. By examining SLBs’ experiences during the pandemic, this study contributes to the SLB literature and offers practical lessons to policy practitioners in facilitating deliberation and developing context‐specific solutions in times of crisis.Points for practitioners The COVID‐19 pandemic and the subsequent government response in the Philippines have increased the challenges faced by street‐level bureaucrats (SLBs), including resource scarcity, organisational and political pressure, public resistance, and the risk of exposure to the virus. SLBs have shown their capacity to apply discretion and collaborate with their clients to resolve their own and the client's challenges and limitations through negotiation, mediation, conflict management, and active listening. This cooperative approach empowers them to resolve common issues and together formulate effective strategies that are beneficial to all parties involved. Relationships outside of SLBs’ duties as state agents (i.e. socio‐cultural relationships) can be a viable pathway for SLBs to implement alternative policy strategies to meet their policy mandates and address the challenges they face as they implement their mandates. Competing value systems, knowledge claims, and emotional narratives, compounded by a governance crisis, define the complex and informal nature of the policy process in the context of a crisis like the pandemic. Although SLBs demonstrate their capacity to creatively solve the challenges they encounter through deliberative practices, this should not serve as a justification for the government's lack of action in prioritising, safeguarding, and preserving their welfare.

Policy learning in crisis governance: translating narratives and reframing actions for co-evolving futures

ABSTRACT Most policy learning literature assumes identifiable lessons, comparable points of consideration, transferable solutions, and expectable performative changes. However, all these assumptions are challenged in the context of crises, where complexity makes learning across contexts difficult, if not impossible. This article aims to bring in policy learning from critical perspectives. It argues that, in the face of complexity, policy learning that can support crisis governance is instead an internal process involving the translation of lessons and the co-evolution of interrelated actors. In this lens, policy learning goes beyond the conventional understanding of lessons, drawing on actual practices within the learning loops of the particular policy cycle. Such loops and cycles, in this view, are not truly present. Grounded in Hyogo, Japan’s empowered participatory governance in responding to the crisis, policy learning is instead a complex everyday practice for translating narratives about past actions that, in turn, help frame future directions. With that framework, it can stimulate the co-evolution of state and societal actors without clear changing points, leading to more robust governing practices.

Transmediatic depth of «The New York Times» and «El País» in their coverage of Boris Johnson’s resignation

A decade after the implementation of multimedia frameworks in the news media, it is necessary to determine which mechanisms have been incorporated into the daily routines of the news media. To accomplish this, we analysed the channels, forms and intertextual modalities employed by two leading international newspapers in their coverage of an unpredictable news event with global repercussions and a specific period: the UK government crisis of July 2022, which led to the resignation of the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. We used a qualitative methodology of transmedia information analysis (Calvo & Serrano Tellería, 2021), adapted to assess the daily operations of online media in updating their content. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the teams responsible for this coverage. The coverage analysis revealed a transmedia depth of ten to eleven informative modalities. We found several residual differences in their audience participation policies. Certain generalist modalities, such as live streaming, video news, podcasts or social networks, were well established and used to attract readership. Furthermore, various models of newsletters and discussion forums with varying levels of access restriction were employed. However, neither of the studied media outlets offered an auditory transcription of their content. While a specific transmedia information model is emerging in digital media, further research should be undertaken to complement these findings.

Strategic Innovation in Crisis Management Converting into Opportunity: A Case Study of the Dubai Government

Purpose: The conventional crisis management framework, which is characterized by predetermined protocols and reactive actions, has proven ineffective in the face of the complex circumstances of today. The Dubai Government has acknowledged this and adopted a paradigm shift toward strategic innovation, marking a break from the status quo and a readiness to accept uncertainty as a necessary step toward advancement. The strategic innovation framework used by the Dubai Government's crisis management plan will be thoroughly examined in this research. The purpose of the study is to elucidate the guiding principles that have placed this forward-thinking organization at the forefront of crisis resilience via the prism of this progressive organization. It aims to understand the mechanics of crisis management and to draw general lessons that may be used in other organizational contexts by probing the methodology, technologies, and cultural shifts that support this novel approach (Alketbi, del Rio and Fernández, 2022). Methodology: To encapsulate, this research utilizes a qualitative triangulation approach that focuses on the relationship between strategic innovation and crisis management, specifically examining the Dubai Government. By combining qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, and content analysis, the study provides a comprehensive view of the topic, enabling a thorough investigation of the research questions and objectives. Findings: Based on prior research and global trends, the main finding is to understand the Dubai Government who has seamlessly merged innovation into its crisis management tactics. The focus is on how the Dubai Government integrates advanced technological tools and fosters a culture where challenges are viewed as opportunities for growth. For instance, the adoption of AI-based predictive analytics in crisis anticipation and response is a testament to this innovative approach. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study anticipates that these practices not only enhance crisis management effectiveness but also serve as a model for other organizations globally.

All we want is, free, safe, legal, local abortion access for everyone who needs it: An examination of the Northern Ireland decriminalisation of abortion campaign

The decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland in 2019 was politically complex. This paper presents an overview from my perspective as the co-convenor of Alliance for Choice (AfC), the primary abortion activist group in the North, focusing on the socio-political background, then analysis via key themes. It considers abortion law in Northern Ireland as British colonialism in Ireland; it then follows the recent political crisis in the British government that offered abortion activists an unprecedented opportunity for restitution via decriminalisation. There is an examination of the influence of SisterSong’s work, which informed Alliance for Choice’s (AfC) campaign for decriminalisation (Bloomer & Pierson 2020). The article critically examines multiple barriers to abortion faced by people in Northern Ireland, where navigating complex abortion health systems for access to abortion care leaves too many behind. Finally, it illustrates how the needs of abortion seekers are better addressed by focusing on decriminalisation. It concludes by identifying how this can inform reproductive justice campaigns elsewhere and recognises the intersectional work that remains to be done. Together it illustrates how in Northern Ireland, multiple layers of campaigning and political change were utilised to bring forth significantly greater bodily autonomy within a human rights and grassroots framework.

Inclusive Crisis Communication in a Pandemic Context: A Rapid Review.

Background: Crisis communication might not reach non-native speakers or persons with low literacy levels, a low socio-economic status, and/or an auditory or visual impairments as easily as it would reach other citizens. The aim of this rapid review was to synthesize the evidence on strategies used to improve inclusive pandemic-related crisis communication in terms of form, channel, and outreach. Methods: After a comprehensive search and a rigorous screening and quality assessment exercise, twelve comparative studies were selected for inclusion in this review. Data were analyzed and represented by means of a structured reporting of available effects using narrative tables. Results: The findings indicate that a higher message frequency (on any channel) may lead to a lower recall rate, audio-visual productions and tailored messages prove to be valuable under certain conditions, and primary healthcare practitioners appear to be the most trusted source of information for most groups of citizens. Trust levels were higher for citizens who were notified in advance of potential exceptions to the rule in the effect of preventive and curative measures promoted. Conclusions: This review contributes to combatting information inequality by providing evidence on how to remove the sensorial, linguistic, cultural, and textual barriers experienced by minorities and other underserved target audiences in COVID-19-related governmental crisis communication in response to the societal, health-related costs of ineffective communication outreach.

Voting and Violence in Competitive Autocracies: The Case of the 2008 Runoff Election in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT How, when and where violence is deployed during periods of extreme regime crisis is determined by regime support expectations. Regimes use political geography to direct violence and ensure political compliance. Areas have ‘core’ high regime loyalty, ‘swing’ loyalty where government and opposition have supporters, or ‘costly’ and loyalty opposition support. During elections, regimes accommodate, suppress or force voters in each area. In runoffs, regimes use new information to increase vote share in core support areas, and use violence against suspected defecting voters. In Zimbabwe during 2008, violence patterns maximised the regime’s favourable political geography, placing typically safe communities in danger.

The contributions of the Iranian health‐care system in the crisismanship of COVID‐19: A qualitative study

AbstractThis study aims to comprehend the contributions of Iran's health‐care system (HCS) in the “crisismanship” of the coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic from the perspectives of citizens, policy makers, managers, and public sector employees. The primary question is what have been the contributions of Iran's HCS in the crisismanship of COVID‐19? The study was designed and conducted using a qualitative strategy. It is reported that three core contributions were made: (1) the leadership of “a whole of crisis governance,” (2) the leading “a whole of crisis management,” and (3) conducting “a whole of operational activities during the COVID‐19.” Through this empirical study, we hope to fill a gap by examining the leadership contributions of the Iranian HCS in fighting COVID‐19. The findings of this study can provide researchers and thinkers with insights into policy and strategy making in times of crises such as those surrounding COVID‐19.Related ArticlesKasseeah, Harshana, and Susan Opp. 2023. “Wicked policy problems and COVID‐19 in small island developing states: The cases of Mauritius and Seychelles.” Politics & Policy 51(6): 1008–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12565.Onyango, Gedion, and Japheth Otieno Ondiek. 2022. “Open Innovation during the COVID‐19 Pandemic Policy Responses in South Africa and Kenya.” Politics & Policy 50(5): 1008–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12490.Vince, Joanna. 2023. “A Creeping Crisis When an Urgent Crisis Arises: The Reprioritization of Plastic Pollution Issues during COVID‐19.” Politics & Policy 51(1): 26–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12512.

West Sumatra Governor's Crisis Communication in The Air Bangis Agrarian Conflict

Land conversion often causes friction between the government and the community, which leads to conflict. West Pasaman is one of the districts in West Sumatra Province with the highest cases of agrarian conflict in West Sumatra. Data from the Padang City Legal Aid Institute shows that there are 25 cases of agrarian conflict in West Pasaman Regency, one of which occurred in Jorog Pigogah Patibubur. This research focuses on government crisis communication in dealing with conflict. Using the Two Ways Symmetrical Communication model, this research will analyze how the government-society narratives differ regarding the PSN Air Bangis proposal, the process of forming the narrative, and the communication strategy of the Governor of West Sumatra in managing the crisis. This research uses qualitative methods to analyze the management of narratives and conflicts between the Governor of West Sumatra, Mahyeldi Ansharullah and the Air Bangis community regarding the change in the status of forest areas that were originally cultivated by the community, to become production forest areas managed by the state. To obtain data, this research used interview and document study methods. Research shows that the crisis cannot be handled optimally because the crisis communication strategies used by the government have not been successful in managing the conflict.

Toward a rhetorical understanding of Chinese political internet memes amid a Chinese governance crisis

ABSTRACT The global trend of social media communication renders internet memes increasingly popular as democratic-oriented discursive tools in online ideological contests. However, scholarly attention to the rhetorical aspects of memetic political discourse has predominantly been Western-centric, leaving their counterparts in non-Western socio-political environments, especially during times of social crises, relatively unexplored in the existing literature. To bridge this gap, this article employs a social-semiotic-rooted multimodal discourse analysis (MDA) to investigate how Chinese netizens utilize internet memes for ideological contestation during a societal-level Chinese governance crisis in the 2020s, characterized by a series of iconic ideological upheavals. The research examines 357 memes from the “My Post” community on WeChat, one of China’s prominent social apps, to unveil their symbolic processes and rhetorical functions in Chinese online politics. This empirical study reveals that Chinese political internet memes serve as strategic rhetorical devices that: (1) enable civic ideological expressions within an authoritarian media landscape dominated by standardized ideological narratives; (2) foster a dynamic process allowing negotiation among political authority, media institutions, and netizens to establish a discursive space accommodating contentious topics and acceptable compromises; and (3) signify a paradigm shift in rhetorical function, elevating internet memes from online communicative artifacts to a democratic perspective.

Navigating chaos: IGAD's efforts Amidst Somalia's Governance crisis

This study investigates how effectively Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has addressed the crisis in Somalia since 1991, using realism theory as its analytical framework. It employs a qualitative case study approach to delve into IGAD's interventions and their implications, conducting an in-depth analysis of IGAD's official documents, resolutions, and crisis-related reports concerning Somalia. By applying realism theory, the study scrutinizes IGAD's actions and motivations from a perspective centered on power politics, highlighting the significance of state interests and regional stability. It suggests that IGAD member states may resist to cooperate when they perceive IGAD's engagement in Somalia is regarded as a threat to their security interests. Despite IGAD's numerous peace initiatives, achieving sustainable peace in Somalia remains elusive. The paper asserts that while IGAD has made substantial efforts to resolve the Somalia conflict, its effectiveness has been constrained by the complexity of the conflict, external influences, and divergent interests among member states. To enhance IGAD's effectiveness, the study recommends various actions, including promoting regional economic integration, mobilizing external resources, improving transparency and accountability, fostering regional identity and solidarity, and maintaining a balanced power dynamic to prevent dominance by any single entity. Applying these measures could significantly improve IGAD's capacity to support peace and stability in Somalia and the entire East Africa region.

The impact of government legitimacy on the tourism industry during crises

Tourism services are particularly vulnerable to crises because of their hedonic and transitory nature. Notably, external crises have destination-wide negative impacts, which require a collective response usually led by governments for a more effective recovery. Despite the consensus on governments’ role and legitimacy in mitigating crises recovery, there is a dearth of research identifying these tools facilitating intervention and their effectiveness. Thus, the paper aims to explore various government crises mitigation strategies for the tourism industry. This research is based on a mixed-method approach. First, it explores government responses to crises through semi-structured interviews with industry stakeholders. Then, we conduct a survey to target industry experts and measure the effectiveness of government responses and their impact on various key performance indicators during crises. From an academic point of view, the research contributes to an understanding of the efficiency of different government recovery intervention methods, which are overlooked in crisis management theory. Based on managerial contributions, the study provides an effective design of the public tools for more crisis-immune businesses, where governments should prioritise managing external crises by establishing processes, standards, support services, information and communication.

The role of the European Union and international legislation in the government of the migration crisis

This paper focuses on the over researched migrant and refugee emergency of 2015-2016, adopting a broader temporal and spatial lens. The 2015 refugee crisis shook Europe and its security and brought immigration and asylum policy to new political dynamics that are developing at a pace and with difficulty in coordination. This particular 'crisis' of 2015 gave a stronger political impetus to the migration and asylum agenda of the EU's destination and transit states. concerns about the limitations of the liberal state, including external border policy, the framing of migrants, European identity and the phenomenon of return migration security, which mainly affected Central and Eastern Europe. Through the analysis of a broad set of materials emerging from the research project, we identified several interacting features of governance in times of crisis, including a multilevel but complex actor landscape, complicated and fragmented legal systems and policy provisions that can change at the temporal level as well as at the territorial level and the current characteristics of a 'crisis governance mode'. Can we identify the specific features that form this state of crisis?

Fiscal extraction by sovereignty: Calculative bordering and differential entanglement in the Eurozone crisis

The article analyses the relationship between sovereignty and capitalist extraction using assemblage theory. It discusses dialectical variants of assemblage theory as tools to think about the entangled relations that make economic actors. The article proposes two concepts, calculative bordering and differential entanglement, to make sense of processes that responsibilised the Greek government for the 2010s Eurozone crisis and invoked its sovereignty as a tool for extraction value for financial markets. The article contributes to anthropological theorisations of sovereignty by showing how, as a political concept, sovereignty can serve to responsibilize governments to secure accumulation and ensure capitalist extraction. The article thus aims for a refined understanding of the changing relation between extraction and sovereignty and processes of fiscal responsibilization as a performance of sovereignty.

Power and informality in the polycentric governing of transit and irregular migration on EU’s eastern border with Belarus

ABSTRACT Migration towards the EU has passed for many decades via Russia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, using Ukraine and Belarus as transit states, yet it adopted new forms under Russia’s intensified ‘hybrid’ warfare, and its 2022 military invasion of Ukraine. This paper seeks to uncover: (1) how formal policies and informal practices were interconnected in the governing of the migration ‘crisis’ on the EU’s eastern border with Belarus (2021–2023); and (2) what different modes of power were used to govern it. The paper advances a polycentric governance perspective. It demonstrates that crisis governance was not simply pursued by the Belarussian government and the EU as direct parties to the conflict. It involved a plethora of other stakeholders including Middle Eastern states, Russia, and travel agencies as non-state actors, all entangled in specific relationships with one another. This paper’s contribution is to show how relational dynamics among these stakeholders governed the crisis via a mixture of formal and informal practices that entailed different levels of coersion. The polycentric perspective advanced here is more useful when studying crisis governance than statist, multilevel governance, or EU-centric approaches emphasising institutional logics, as it emphasises relations among actors, and the power that shapes these relations and the governance system as a whole.

Connecting efficiency and responsiveness in China: public sentiments and stakeholder perspectives towards COVID-19 crisis governance.

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic initiated debates on how crisis management affects democracy. In them, the balance between deploying control strategies that limit citizens' freedom and their democratic legitimation features prominently. Informed by theoretical debates about responsive crisis governance, this paper explores how Chinese citizens reacted by quantitatively and qualitatively analysing social media expressions and Chinese stakeholders' narratives. The quantitative analysis indicated that public sentiments towards pandemic control were complex and mostly related to the severe pandemic in Wuhan. Negative sentiments were mainly directed at local states; national states largely received respect. The qualitative analysis exhibited more nuances. Although Chinese crisis governance raised efficiency and trust, aggressive accountability efforts and improper information exchange caused justice deficits and public anxiety. Draconian social control misaligned public interests and a lack of specific partnership mechanisms frustrated social participation. Reconciling institutional efficiency with civic liberties on diverse governance levels is thus expected to increase the responsiveness of pandemic control to public demands.

Evaluation study of the urban governance of the COVID-19 crisis in the city of Antwerp

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has demanded crisis management at all governance levels. While most research has focused on responses of national governments, city-level governance had significant potential to develop tailored approaches. This study explored how the local COVID-19 response was organised and adapted to the specific city population and context in the City of Antwerp, Belgium.MethodsA case study using semi-structured interviews was set up with 20 key informants with a central role in the coordination and implementation of the city-level COVID-19 response in Antwerp. Thematic analysis of transcripts was guided by an adapted version of the OECD risk management cycle.ResultsRespondents’ accounts provide a granular understanding of pandemic preparedness, crisis management, and response and adaptation to the COVID-19 crisis in a mid-size European city. Its size was large enough to have a strong capacity within its government bodies, to utilise the expertise of strong partners in the area and to mobilise a critical mass for action, yet small enough to quickly establish connections and trust. In addition to a universal approach, they developed tailored responses to specific neighbourhoods and groups. Well-established community and organisational ties enhanced the effectiveness of grassroots initiatives. The perceived feeling of joint action contributed to a strong collective agency, but respondents noted the need for a system for monitoring and learning.ConclusionsLocal governments are important to develop tailored strategies and organise a locally relevant crisis response in cities. They need expertise and agency, with enough flexibility to experiment. To harness promising practices and avoid repeating errors in future crises, it is crucial to develop a system that better evaluates and monitors local responses, before, during and after crises.

THE COLLAPSE OF MODERN DEMOCRACY

This scientific article will demonstrate the birth, evolution and crisis of modern democratic regimes. As notorious knowledge, democracy arose from the fall of the monarchical absolutist regime, when human rights appeared accompanied by constitutionalist movements. The evolution was gradual, the result of the social demands that emerged, noting at first the French ideological tripod, namely, freedom, equality and fraternity, reflecting on the social constitutions of social character. It turns out that with the increase of social demands, the state apparatus itself became unable to meet them, despite the existence of social constituent letters enumerating a catalog of human rights. Thus there is the occurrence of the phenomenon of apparent democracy, in which there is a constitutionally foreseen sequence of human rights, together with appropriate legislations, but are not met by the public power, collapsing the system. At the same time, other elements that contribute to the end of democracies are observed, and can point out the partisan political articulations, the search for perpetuation in power, the confidential meetings, the votes for a certain matter and so on that configure what they are what Political scientist Norberto Bobbio defines how the “rules of the game” democratic. Finally, it is appropriate to mention the occurrence of the invisible power of democracy, where not only the subjects hides, but also the content of decisions until the moment they must become public, always having other objectives.