Government Power Research Articles

Queer theory, normalising regimes and the cultivation of (safe) sportscapes: a queer intersectional praxis for belonging and inclusion in physical education?

ABSTRACT This paper draws on data from a case study into a local women’s Australian Rules football team, investigating how players experienced the particularities of the sportscape in which they played. Emerging from the dataset was an overwhelming emphasis on discourses of belonging and inclusion, with players expounding on the nuances of this space as somewhere that their variously gendered bodies, sizes, abilities and selves were not just accommodated, but normalised. Reflecting various axes by which inclusion was experienced, players highlight the enactment of an intersectional lens which enabled a sportscape in which difference was seen, accepted and responded to inclusively. Drawing on queer theory, this paper explores how normalising difference – applying a queer theoretical lens – undermined normalising regimes across various axes of difference in this local sportscape, with implications for players’ experiences and participation. It further asks what role the active cultivation of this sportscape played in impacting players’ experiences and perceptions of acceptance, inclusion and belonging, and asks whether a queer lens – a critical consciousness of and around normalising regimes of power and hegemony along various axes – might offer us ways for thinking through the cultivation of more inclusive (safer) physical education spaces. A queer theoretical lens demonstrates the ways in which normalising regimes re/produce that which becomes hegemonic within different spaces. This paper considers how we can apply the principles of normalising difference within this football sportscape to physical education (PE) spaces to explore how PE teachers might cultivate spaces which foster inclusion, belonging, participation and engagement through normalising diversity in relation to intersectional axes of difference.

Datafied ageing futures: Regimes of anticipation and participatory futuring

With this paper we join others in their call to resist and challenge regimes of anticipations that suggest our futures are inevitably linked to certain imaginaries about data-driven systems. The future is not simply happening but is made now – through regimes of anticipation that shape our expectations, imaginaries, visions and hypes, and define what is thinkable and desirable. Who or what is able to claim the future is an exercise of power and a matter of social justice. However, current anticipations circulating about datafied futures are often determined by powerful social actors such as states or technology companies. In this paper, we explore how we might open up futures-making to different people in relation to futures of ageing. Central is the question of whether and how we can actually think (and imagine) outside of powerful anticipation regimes around the increasing spread and relevance of data-driven systems and/or ageist assumptions about how to ‘fix’ the problem of demographic ageing. We draw on data from a series of design fiction workshops with older adults, civil society organisations and civil servants in Germany, Austria and the UK. Our analysis explores how participatory futuring might allow participants to question their own assumptions and anticipations about the futures of data-driven technologies in ageing societies but that, due to ‘discursive closure’, this may not lead to radically different futures imaginaries.

Rethinking capacities of regulatory market-assurance intermediaries: the case of seafood sustainability audits

ABSTRACT Credible assurances about the invisible qualities of goods and services – such as sustainability features – are key to market governance. The theory of regulatory intermediaries offers a lens for assessing diverse regulatory contexts where differently configured actors serve as market-assurance intermediaries between rule-makers and rule-targets. Studies using this theory have clarified the consequences of these configurations for regulatory capture, co-regulation, feedback effects, and the (re)production of knowledge and power. However, the distinction and relations between organisational and individual intermediaries remain under theorised. We reconceptualise the individual capacities of expertise and independence and assess these for 283 individuals performing 312 seafood sustainability audits for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Examining the individuals and teams performing these audits uncovers otherwise invisible biases within intermediary processes, including in assessors’ professional, educational and personal backgrounds, the composition of assessment teams and assessors’ experience in conducting MSC audits. The analysis highlights that intermediary capacities are co-determined by individual assessors and audit organisations and are only partly under the control of the MSC as regulator. A shift to an individual level of analysis thus elucidates new consequences for the legitimacy of the regulator and intermediaries and for the (re)production of power and inequities in global market governance.

The History of AI and Power in Government

The History of AI and Power in Government

Understanding tax compliance in indonesian smes: a structural equation modeling approach to tax literacy, knowledge, fairness, power, and trust

Intoductions: This study aims to examine the determinants of tax compliance among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia, focusing on the roles of tax literacy, tax knowledge, perceptions of fairness, power, trust, and trust in government. Given the importance of tax compliance can guide policymakers in designing effective tax policies.Methods: The research was conducted using a quantitative approach, collecting data from 349 SME owners across various islands in Indonesia through convenience sampling. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (SEM-PLS), allowing for an in-depth examination of the relationships between independent variables and tax compliance.Results: These findings suggest that building trust and employing supportive enforcement strategies are essential for encouraging voluntary compliance among SMEs. Surprisingly, tax literacy, tax knowledge, and perceptions of fairness did not significantly impact compliance, indicating that while these factors may play a role, they are not sufficient drivers of compliance without the presence of trust and authority.Conclutions: Based on these findings, it is recommended that policymakers prioritize strategies that foster trust in government and strengthen relationships between SMEs and tax authorities. Enhanced transparency, communication, and fair enforcement can significantly contribute to improved compliance rates.

Shaping the perception of Sustainable Fashion: Power Intervention as Metaphor of Social Media Discourse (Power - government power)

Social media and government regulations play critical roles in promoting sustainability, but both confront substantial hurdles. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok democratise sustainability talks, yet also face challenges such as greenwashing and consumerism. Governments can incentivise sustainable activities through legislation, but they frequently meet criticism from economic interests and challenges in international cooperation. This study looks at how social media and government interventions influence popular perceptions of sustainable fashion. The study investigates how government organisations disseminate sustainability themes using discourse analysis, interviews with designers, lawmakers, and influencers, as well as content analysis of government and fashion-related posts. The findings suggest that while government programs shape public discourse by portraying sustainable fashion as a societal responsibility, scepticism regarding the genuineness of these messages reveals a trust gap. Governments use social media to influence public opinion through eco-labeling, sustainability certifications, and collaborations with environmentally aware individuals, however greenwashing remains a challenge. Influencers use channels like Instagram and TikTok to fight scepticism by delivering honest, emotional stories that make sustainability more relevant. The study emphasises the importance of transparency in government messaging and proposes that visual content might help make sustainability more accessible to the general population. It provides vital insights on how the government and social media may work together to promote sustainable fashion, as well as recommendations for future eco-friendly garment sector promotion initiatives.

Gender Dynamics and Women’s Decision-Making Power in Local Governance: A Study of Development in Surkhet

This paper explores the gender dynamics in local governance, particularly focusing on women’s development decision-making for sustainable development, equal representation, and creativity, reducing conflicts and improving decision-making process for both women and society. However, a lack of effective women’s involvement in local government decision-making is hindering the attainment of democracy and equal representation for all citizens. This paper has utilized a mixed-methods research design, combining quantative and qualitative data sources by using both primary and secondary data. In Nepal, the federal Constitution 2015 has significantly enhanced women’s political participation, highlighting their crucial role in political, socioeconomic, and developmental activities for improving the quality of life. However, women’s participation in planning, implementation, and evaluation process is still in the infancy stage. The lack of education, political commitment, existing social structure, and judicial systems are the primary reasons for the inability to enhance their political rights. The paper proposes the implementation of policy advocacy and awareness programs aimed at enhancing women’s involvement in decision-making processes, especially marginalized women in rural municipalities of Surkhet.

Unintended consequences: market integration and enterprise carbon emissions ——based on the analytical perspective of county-to-district reform

ABSTRACT The county-to-district reform, as an important measure to break down administrative barriers between cities and counties and promote market integration, raises the question of whether it influences enterprise carbon emissions behaviour. By utilising data from 1992 to 2019 and matching it with patent data for Chinese listed companies, this paper examines the impact of the county-to-district reform on enterprise carbon emissions. The findings show that the reform accelerates market integration, facilitates the free flow of production factors, thus expanding the scale of enterprise production and increasing total carbon dioxide emissions from enterprises. Meanwhile, this process alleviates financing constraints for enterprises and increases the proportion of research and development investment on one hand; on the other hand, the reform intensifies market competition, thereby improving enterprise productivity. Ultimately, this leads to a reduction in overall carbon emission intensity. This phenomenon is particularly evident in non-state-owned enterprises, non-carbon trading pilot regions, northern regions, and small and medium-sized enterprises. This paper explores the impact of changes in China’s government power structure on enterprise carbon emissions behaviour, adding to the research on the role of micro-level enterprises in carbon reduction during the county-to-district reform process.

A critical discourse analysis of Chinese diplomatic speeches on China-US relations

Diplomatic discourse embodies the political concepts and stances of a government, from a critical perspective, it may imbed the power and ideology of the particular government. Previous studies have primarily focused on foreign political discourse, but few on Chinese diplomatic discourse especially the English texts, which are vital for the international community to accurately comprehend China’s diplomatic concepts. To fill the research gap, this study critically examined the English transcripts of six speeches on China-US relations by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi based on Fairclough’s three-dimensional model (1995). The findings revealed that by manipulating various language tactics such as China-related agents, “We-group” pronouns, modality resources with low/medium values, and intertextuality resources with positive/negative implications, the Chinese diplomat tried to construct an authority-driven discourse with a persuasive nature, meanwhile, to frame a positive-self and a negative-others image. All these facilitated the speaker to strive for “power to discourse” for China, convince and control his intended audience to share the same beliefs. It was also found that Chinese diplomacy has been greatly influenced by the philosophy of Confucianism, China hence takes a “Confucian approach to diplomacy”. Besides, Chinese discourse always safeguards its development path and the sole leadership of the CPC. From this sense, the power and ideologies the discourse tried to propagate are in fact in the hands of the CPC.

Objects Over People

There is a tradition and practice in libraries and other Western and information institutions of collecting, stewarding, and taking “cultural heritage” materials from non-Western communities or about non-Western subjects. Attention to the practice of collecting cultural heritage is heightened during times of perceived threat, vulnerability, or destruction of these materials, and the ways in which libraries and memory workers can intervene in their protection. Framed as removal and rescue, the practice and narrative around absorbing “at risk” heritage materials reveals a set of assumptions about how libraries and information institutions attempt to decontextualize themselves from the world; this essay will unpack this framing, its outcomes, whose interests it serves, and the kinds of politics it extends and legitimizes. Utilizing textual analysis of mainstream library guidelines and communications, and drawing on principles of critical librarianship, art criticism, and anti-colonial writing, which point to the embeddedness of library and information work within regimes of power, this chapter will problematize the tendency of our fields to deploy rhetorics of inclusion—and the politics that underpin that rhetoric—in its justification of heritage absorption and representation, namely, that it inherently contributes to a social justice project, is universally desired, and serves an imagined “public good.”

Maritime Ambitions: China’s Emerging Great Power Identity and Its Strategies in BBNJ Agreement Negotiations

Abstract This article examines China’s strategic maneuvers within the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement negotiations, highlighting its role as an emerging great power in shaping international maritime law and governance. The BBNJ initiative, crucial for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, presents an arena where China’s diplomatic, strategic, and legal tactics converge to enhance its influence on the global stage. Through a detailed analysis of the negotiation phases and China’s interactions with other states, this study explores how China, while operating under its status as a developing country—a stance recognized globally—effectively wields its ascending power to shape negotiation outcomes that serve its strategic national interests. China’s approach in the BBNJ agreement discussions demonstrates a sophisticated integration of traditional values, strategic alliances, and selective engagement with international norms, ensuring that new legal frameworks do not undermine existing agreements or its maritime ambitions. This article sheds light on China’s influence in shaping the BBNJ agreement while offering insights into the broader implications of its strategies for other emerging powers in international environmental governance. Although advancing national interests is a common goal for all nations in multilateral negotiations, this article emphasizes the distinctive strategies China employs—integrating traditional values, forging strategic alliances, and adopting selective engagement—to effectively shape outcomes and safeguard its strategic objectives.

Barriers to integration of health and equity into urban design policies in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Although there is extensive literature on the impact of urban design on health, little is known about the barriers to integrating health into urban design policies. As cities increasingly lead efforts to improve health equity and population health, understanding the perspectives and experiences of municipal actors on health and equity is essential. To address this gap, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 stakeholders engaged with urban design policy- and decision-making at the City of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. We analysed our data using a qualitative thematic framework. Our research uncovered a lack of shared understanding of health among municipal actors. Interviewees identified several barriers to integrating health and equity in urban design policies, including inaccessibility of evidence; insufficient resourcing; fragmented governance structure; limited legal power of local governments in Canada; a deeply ingrained culture of individualism and lack of representation. Our findings underscore the importance of adopting an integrated and holistic approach for healthy and equitable urban design. As urbanization continues to bring a greater share of the world's population into urban areas, it is crucial to understand how municipal governance can foster environments that promote residents' well-being.

The Power of Cultural Governance: The Red Prescription for Corporate Excess Leverage

The Power of Cultural Governance: The Red Prescription for Corporate Excess Leverage

Research on the Law Enforcement Power of Township Governments from the Perspective of Constitution

The issues on the law enforcement power of township governments has always been an important research topic of grass-roots governance and is of great significance to realize the modernization of national governance system and governance capacity. As a vertical allocation of administrative power, low enforcement power sinking to towns and villages can effectively solve long-standing problems such as "those that are visible cannot be managed, and those that can be managed cannot be seen" in practice. In view of the theoretical and practical difficulties faced by law enforcement power sinking to township governments, focusing on the predicament of the law enforcement power of township governments in practice, in this thesis, the current situation and problems of township governments’ law enforcement power were deeply discussed, and corresponding improvement measures were proposed to improve the law enforcement efficiency of township governments and promote the construction of grassroots rule of law.

Individual Autonomy versus Public Safety: How Government COVID-19 Mandates and Constitutional Law Impacts Fraud Rationalization and Pressures

ABSTRACT The global pandemic has highlighted unprecedented levels of uncertainty, which has forced the exploration of new questions. We review the academic literature on COVID-19, with respect to forensic accounting topics, and we find that the literature is relatively scarce. We also provide a detailed constitutional legal history of U.S. health mandates, including a background of constitutional limitations on government power, federalism, Supreme Court evolution on autonomy, and the state of the legal framework on government health mandates immediately preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout this review of academic literature and the legal framework regarding mandates, we discuss examples of fraud cases during the pandemic and the aspects impacting fraud rationalization and pressures. Our results show that more research is needed in this area, and we provide suggestions for future avenues, as well as legal considerations regarding government mandates.

Promoting Decent Work and Equal Pay in the Informal Agricultural Sector: A Gender Perspective

Agriculture, the oldest human activity, is the livelihood for millions, especially in developing countries where it drives economic growth and poverty reduction. However, the informal agricultural sector lacks poor working conditions, low wages, lack of legal protection, and significant gender-based discrimination. Women often face unequal access to resources, training, and fair wages, perpetuating a cycle of poverty. This review paper examines decent work and equal pay in the informal agricultural sector, focusing on gender disparities, and offers recommendations to promote gender equality, empowerment, and sustainable development through targeted interventions and policy improvements. The study used the PRISMA model for a systematic literature review. The study highlighted the five dimensions of decent work identified by the ILO, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding and addressing challenges in achieving decent work. The review also identified several factors influencing decent work and equal pay, including government policies, market dynamics, social norms, power dynamics, and social security programs. The review further discussed the gender dimension of decent work and equal pay, highlighting the gender wage gap and the challenges faced by women in accessing decent work and fair compensation in the sector. Innovative approaches to promoting decent work and equal pay were also discussed, including social protection programs, collective bargaining, microfinance initiatives, vocational training, and digital tools.

MAS Relations with Social Movements: The Yungas Cocaleros and the 2019 Crisis

The Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) emerged from a diverse coalition of social movements centered on cocalero unions and their participatory organizational structure. Some scholars argue that the MAS became a top-down ruling party that relegated and weakened social movements. This article challenges these predominate claims about MAS relations with social organizations. Based on a case study of the Asociación Departmental de Productores de Coca (ADEPCOCA), the article develops two main claims. First, it examines the political divisions within the cocalero sector, which contradict a common view of cocaleros as united with the MAS, and which therefore presented a governance dilemma for the MAS. Second, the article considers how, in the ADEPCOCA case, rural social organizations were able to both remain autonomous under the MAS and confront government power. These findings have implications for understanding how the MAS shaped Bolivian political development leading up to the 2019 crisis; namely, that there was significant tension between the MAS’s commitments to state-building and participatory governance, and that this tension contributed to resistance from within the MAS coalition, leaving the regime vulnerable to overthrow in 2019.

The Emperor and the New Clothes: Engaging the Frivolity of Ethical and Moral Leadership as Espoused Values Against the Values of use

University Education in South Africa has been a subject of transformation in systematic ways and over time. This has had to call upon the multi-dimensional approaches (about MLG Systems and Practices) due to the complexity of the subject. While remarkable progress has been made, and can be evidenced by empirical data, such developments remain elusive for some universities within the sector. Strangely, even the considerable highly ranked universities have not been spared from what can be argued as the complexity of power relations in the politics of knowledge and of being and becoming. This article is based on this issue about complexity in university education, which can play out more as the continuities than what should be the discontinuities from the old regimes of power and of truth. A Case study approach was applied as a methodology, with the actual methods about data management including organisational records, content analysis and critical discourse analysis, over time. Informing such an approach was the ideal of ensuring the theory-methodology-practical program aspects of a potentially credible scholarship project. As such the social realist theory, informed by the critical realist philosophy, served as the anchor of the study that this article is reporting on. The findings relate to what can become the enduring management, leadership and governance crisis in the case of university education, thus constituting the micro politics of being and becoming, despite what can be reported about the same case at macro level. Such cases call upon scholarly critiques if the practical alternatives might constitute the realms of new possibilities. The potential value of the study can be the enhanced dialogue and sustained conversations about the role of management, leadership and governance systems in university education, which have to be maintained and sustained by the idea of ethical and moral practices in pursuit of what ought to be the public and common good.

Expanding lake and the landless pastoralists in pastoral Tibet, China

ABSTRACT This paper argues that everyday politics are instrumental in negotiating development outcomes despite the pervasive influence of centralised state power. The paper highlights the fluidity and adaptability of Chinese policy formulation, emphasizing local learning and improvisation. This is especially important for pastoral communities in remote rangelands, where land appropriation and environmental exploitation are increasingly evident. The paper sheds light on the influential role of everyday political practices in shaping outcomes within the Chinese context, while simultaneously contesting simplistic portrayals of top-down state planning in China. By emphasizing the existence of manoeuvrability and opportunities for negotiation within this framework, the paper advocates for a nuanced understanding of governance dynamics and power relations in the Chinese context.

PERSPEKTIF HUKUM ADMINISTRASI TERHADAP BUDAYA ORGANISASI DALAM PEMBANGUNAN HUKUM

the role of administrative law perspectives on organizational culture in supporting legal development in Indonesia. A strong organizational culture is viewed as key to optimizing the function of law as an instrument for social renewal. This enables the legal system to adapt to rapid and diverse social changes, which is crucial for responsive and equitable legal development. The perspective of administrative law focuses on balancing government power with the protection of individual rights through a legal structure that is transparent, fair, and efficient. In this context, establishing an adaptive legal culture is essential for achieving good governance, fostering legal certainty, and building public trust in the government.