Important Actors Research Articles

The Human Rights Policies of the EU: Political Nature, Existing Incoherencies and Institutional Bifurcation

The history of human rights in the context of the European Union (EU) is complex and riddled with contradictions. This was convincingly demonstrated by leading experts in the area who wrote copiously about the existence of elements of institutional bifurcation in the organisation’s policies in the area. Although the EU is an important global actor in the field of human rights and had a positive impact on a number of human rights issues, a number of incoherencies and inconsistencies in its policies continue to have a detrimental impact on its political actions on the world stage. By examining the traditional explanations for these existing deficiencies in the political and institutional system of the organisation through a document analysis, this article sketches their problematic overall impact and argues, concurring to the above-mentioned experts, that these incoherencies resulted in a bifurcated human rights regime produced by the problematic elements of the EU’s own political identity. It also considers the impact of the Union’s enlargement on its human rights policies and the potential challenges this phenomenon poses in political and social terms.

The SDGs: an approach to the study of actors and coordinated work between companies and governments.

The environment is an international society topic. The United Nations (UN) has therefore launched, within the framework of the 2030 agenda, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) to halt climate change and improve living conditions in the world. The objective of this work is to provide students with an approximation to the objectives of sustainable development and to emphasize the role that the public and private sectors play as the main actors of the project of improvement of the environment in the planet. This is a descriptive work that addresses the SDGs in general and not in particular, including their most important actors and their efforts to achieve them. This work tries to show how the actors make important efforts in the matter and their relevance on this global project. It is, therefore, a work that invites for reflection on the subject of the environment for future professionals of the administrative economic sciences.

Who is responsible for what? Exploring online pedagogies of remote physical education during the coronavirus pandemic

ABSTRACT During the coronavirus pandemic, internet spaces became important sites of teaching PE remotely. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the emergency online pedagogies transpiring in these internet spaces and the role that digital resources gained in them. We focus on webpages on the platform Padlet.com, which have been identified but not yet investigated as relevant spaces for pedagogical encounters in German-speaking remote PE. Using a theory of practice approach to pedagogy and focusing on discursive practices of responsibilization, we investigate which responsibilities are claimed for PE as a subject, for teachers, students and digital resources on these webpages, and how these parties are thereby related to each other and positioned as recognizable subjects/actors of remote PE. Our qualitative discourse analysis of 14 Padlet webpages (755 posts combined) reveals that the online pedagogy on these webpages is characterized by the discursive positioning of (i) PE as being responsible for activity and sport under special conditions, (ii) teachers as subjects responsible for organizing PE and activating students while delegating pedagogical responsibilities to them and to digital resources, (iii) students as subjects who should care for themselves by taking responsibility for the processes and results of their physical activities and (iv) digital resources as important actors located between education, sport culture and internet economy. Discussing these results, we argue that exploring the actual ways and forms of performing pedagogical responsibility can yield important insights into the social constitution of – increasingly digitized – PE, its social relations, subject positionings and pedagogies.

Chief executive officer narcissism, corporate inertia, and securities analysts’ stock recommendations

The narcissism of chief executive officers is attracting much research interest because of its potential effects on the strategic decisions, financial performance, and competitive standing of firms. This article addresses a significant gap in the literature by analyzing the effect of chief executive officer narcissism on security analysts’ stock recommendations. As financial-market intermediaries between firms and investors, analysts are an important corporate-governance actor, whose stock recommendations are consequential for the market value of a firm. Drawing on the idea of observers’ implicit leadership theories, we argue that greater chief executive officer narcissism will predict lower analysts’ stock recommendations because narcissistic chief executive officers’ penchant for risk-taking will lead analysts to categorize them as ineffective leaders. We argue further that signals of corporate inertia conveyed by the age, size, and reputation of firms will positively moderate the chief executive officer narcissism–analysts’ stock recommendation relationship, because analysts will expect inertia to be offset by narcissistic chief executive officers’ risk-taking, a dynamic likely to improve firm performance. US panel data provide support for the theorized chief executive officer narcissism–analysts’ stock recommendations relationship and indicates significant moderation effects of the reputation and size of firms. The article discusses the study’s contributions and implications for research and practice.

Can International Business and Entrepreneurship be the Catalysts for Economic Growth in Africa?

Innovative entrepreneurs are important actors in regional economies of Africa. There are enormous entrepreneurial opportunities in the global markets. The World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects for 2023 indicates that the global growth has eased, but remains robust, and is projected to reach 3.1 percent in 2018. Overall, growth in global trade of goods and services combined is expected to moderate to 4.3 percent in 2018, down from a six-year high of 4.8 percent in 2017. This projection has been revised upwards due to stronger-than-expected intra-regional trade growth in Asia and Africa as well as import-demand from major advanced economies. Global trade in goods and services is projected to rise to $27 trillion in 2030 from $10.3 trillion in 2015. Trade as a share of the global economy will increase from 1/4 to 1/3. Roughly half of the increase is likely to come from developing countries that will supply over 65 % of manufactured imports to rich countries, compared with 40% today. Some developing countries are expected to have growth rate over 6%, much higher than developed countries. When trade expands, technologies will rapidly diffuse to developing countries. The dominance of globalization is transferring to China, India and Brazil. The challenge of entrepreneurship is immense in Africa. The entrepreneur’s needs differentiation of exporting and the continent has to create its own regional clusters so as to enhance the competitiveness of its enterprises. Africa may have all the possible comparative advantages in certain industries but what is required is entrepreneurial actions. International business and entrepreneurship appear to be the catalysts for much of the expected economic growth in Africa.

Образ женщины в эпоху Реформации: эволюция взглядов

The paper addresses gender aspect of the history and culture of the Reformation era, highlighting new as well as traditional accents in the perceiving and comprehending the image of woman in countries of protestant culture. The author touches upon understudied issue of evolution in viewing of women and women`s self-perception during one of the key eras for the establishing of the modern Europe. The chosen problematics deserves closer attention in a number of concerns — in terms of history, culture studies and theology — and is noteworthy for a close and subtle interaction between Reformation and women as its important actors. Just as the Reformation affected the condition and comprehension of the woman`s image, women influenced the very course of historic events of this period and its ideological content. Against the backdrop of numerous names of prominent reformers, much more represented in academic studies, we see the clear necessity of a research to detect active female participants of the Reforms and to shed light on their activities to fully appreciate women as actual reformeresses and their contribution into reinvention of the women`s status in society and private life. The author carries out analysis of the women`s position from different social strata and their functions in the field of politics, labor, family life, religious and creative activity and comes to the conclusions about their status amelioration in one cases and about new challenges they had to be dealing with. To this end the paper looks at the estimations reformers gave to the women`s role, which is important for determining certain characteristic features of Reformation — retrograde alongside progressive ones.

Analysis of the state and legal policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan on interaction with the diaspora in the context of sustainable development

This scientific article presents a comprehensive study of the role of diasporas in the modern world, with a focus on connections with the topic of population migration. In a world where globalization and modern technology play a key role, diasporas are becoming important actors in the development of economic, human, social and cultural capital, both in countries of origin and in countries of residence. The article highlights that diasporas have a significant impact on the economy, education and cultural exchange, and this is confirmed by World Bank data on remittances, which exceed foreign direct investment and foreign aid. Kazakhstan serves as an example of a country that actively interacts with the Kazakh diaspora abroad and brings back ethnic Kazakhs (Kandas) in order to increase their contribution to the development of the country. However, the article also highlights that the potential of diasporas is underutilized. To address this problem, the study proposes a number of recommendations and policy approaches. The purpose of the study is to examine policies that influence interaction with diasporas and the integration of gender equality aspects into this process. The research methodology includes an analysis of literature, strategic and regulatory documents, as well as data available on the websites of authorized government bodies and public organizations. The results of the analysis formulate problems and provide recommendations for developing strategies for more effective interaction with diasporas, including aspects of gender equality. The article concludes that while more research is needed, there are several key areas of concern, including the lack of clear diaspora policies and programs to transfer knowledge and skills. Overall, the article proposes a strategic plan for increasing the contribution of diasporas to socio-economic development and integrating gender equality dimensions into these interactions.

The gender dimensions of food security: Ethnographic accounts of agro-pastoralists of the Ittu Oromo, East Africa

Gender is the most important but overlooked aspect of food security analysis. Informed by experiential narrative resilience framework, this paper thus discusses the gender dimensions of food security based on the accounts of Ittu Oromo agro-pastoralists. Ethnographic data were collected through participant observation, focus group discussion and narrative interview, and analyzed thematically. Accordingly, four major themes have emerged: women vis-à-vis food among Ittu Oromo, gender division of labour, consumption decision making, and mutual support (quubii) as food security strategy. The finding thus indicated that women are an important actor in food preservation, preparation and allocation in agro-pastoralists of Ittu Oromo. In division of labour, women are largely engaged in such domestic works as caring and cooking while men engage in farm and other non-domestic activities though there are changes today. Consumption decision-making appears to be collective though men tend to dominate. In household food allocation, women seem powerful though they tend to eat least and last but given precedence – during pregnancy and post-partum period. In the context of dearth, women proved innovative that they put heads together to support each other through such village-based institutions as quubii. Among the agro-pastoralists of Ittu Oromo, quubii plays a pivotal role in building women capacity to deal with food shortage. Women, however, remained to be vulnerable particularly when they are head of the family that culturally sound resilience building intervention such as increased access to resource, enhanced participation in decision making, and strengthening mutual support and cooperation (such as quubii) appears crucial.

The role and position of universities in the provincial ecosystem of knowledge-based development:Theoretical framework and its application for West Azarbaijan province

National development is the result of local and provincial development. In today's era, which is known as the age of knowledge, local and provincial development takes place only within the framework of the provincial ecosystem of knowledge-based development. In many developed countries, universities are the most important actors and beneficiaries of this ecosystem. But the role and position of Iranian universities in this type of ecosystem is not very clear and it seems that they do not have a favorable role and position. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to verify this hypothesis. For this purpose, the technique of "stakeholder interaction analysis" and the study data of West Azarbaijan province have been used. The findings of the research show that the universities of West Azarbaijan province do not have a proper role and position in the knowledge-based development ecosystem of this province. In fact, such an ecosystem is very poorly formed in this province.

Assessing the Impacts and Challenges of Deployed Community Development Workers: The Case of Bishoftu Community Development Workers Training College Graduates

Community development is about placing individuals at the centre of the development process and helping them realize their potential. Community Development Workers (CDWs) are community-based resource persons who collaborate with other community activists to help fellow community members. The objective of this study is to assess factors that challenge the roles of CDWs. The study used both quantitative and qualitative study designs. Data were gathered through questionnaires, in-depth interviews and personal observation. The collected data was analyzed using mixed method of analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. The study revealed that CDWs have proved to be key and important local actors and facilitators in bringing about attitudinal change among the communities they work with, are attracting the trust and confidence of the people they work with, have revitalized local social organizations as instruments of development, have tabled the agendas of the socially marginalized community groups, working on the principle of matching community inputs with resources, and their role approved to be well aligned with Development Policy as it fosters ‘community participation, promotes self-reliance, and is strategically fasten at the grass roots level. The study concludes that CDWs are facing challenges in contextualizing their role and institutional factors are discovered to be impeding the roles of CDWs. The study recommends a multi-disciplinary research involving educationalists, and social anthropologists could perhaps develop a more thorough of investigation and be more conclusive on the factors that influence CDWs performance initiated by this research.

LEGITIMNOST MEĐUREPUBLIČKOG RAZGRANIČENjA U KOMUNISTIČKOJ JUGOSLAVIJI I MOGUĆE GEOPOLITIČKE POSLEDICE TOG PROCESA U NOVIM OKOLNOSTIMA

The internal, republican borders between the federal units were declared internationally recognized after the dissolution of the former common state. As such, they were accepted by the most important international actors, and the membership of the former Yugoslav republics in the OUN took place according to the limits determined by the principles of the Second Session of the AVNOY in Jajce in 1943. Despite the fact that in this way and with the assistance of the international community, the demarcation process was finally legalized, the question of its legitimacy remained open. Especially if one takes into account the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis from February 2022 and the accompanying re-actualization of the issue of borders in the former communist federations. The paper consists of four parts. The first part presents the way of making the decision on the federalization of Yugoslavia and demarcation within the country. The second part is dedicated to the events during the breakup of the SFR Yugoslavia, with reference to the work of the so-called Badinter Commission and the “internationalization” of internal borders. The third part analyzes the impact of the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis on the re-actualization of the issue of legitimacy of demarcation, while the fourth is reserved for concluding considerations.

The Lafarge Group – a short case study

In the field of counter-terrorism, the concept of terrorist financing is becoming increasingly undefined. One of the most significant cases of terrorist financing in recent years has been linked to France. The activities of the French cement giant Lafarge Group in Syria are directly linked to terrorist financing. In Syria, the Lafarge Group has a controversial relationship with ISIS, one of the most important actors of post-modern terrorism. In the case of the cement giant, police investigations have failed to establish the responsibility of the French headquarters. Only the Syrian branch was found to be responsible.

Carbon flows and biochar stability during co-pyrolysis of human faeces with wood biomass

As non-sewered toilets are now the most commonly used sanitation facilities, the faecal sludge management (FSM) sector is starting to be recognised as an important actor for global carbon management....

TSPAN6 reinforces the malignant progression of glioblastoma via interacting with CDK5RAP3 and regulating STAT3 signaling pathway.

Glioblastoma is the prevailing and highly malignant form of primary brain neoplasm with poor prognosis. Exosomes derived from glioblastoma cells act a vital role in malignant progression via regulating tumor microenvironment (TME), exosomal tetraspanin protein family members (TSPANs) are important actors of cell communication in TME. Among all the TSPANs, TSPAN6 exhibited predominantly higher expression levels in comparison to normal tissues. Meanwhile, glioblastoma patients with high level of TSPAN6 had shorter overall survival compared with low level of TSPAN6. Furthermore, TSPAN6 promoted the malignant progression of glioblastoma via promoting the proliferation and metastatic potential of glioblastoma cells. More interestingly, TSPAN6 overexpression in glioblastoma cells promoted the migration of vascular endothelial cell, and exosome secretion inhibitor reversed the migrative ability of vascular endothelial cells enhanced by TSPAN6 overexpressing glioblastoma cells, indicating that TSPAN6 might reinforce angiogenesis via exosomes in TME. Mechanistically, TSPAN6 enhanced the malignant progression of glioblastoma by interacting with CDK5RAP3 and regulating STAT3 signaling pathway. In addition, TSPAN6 overexpression in glioblastoma cells enhanced angiogenesis via regulating TME and STAT3 signaling pathway. Collectively, TSPAN6 has the potential to serve as both a therapeutic target and a prognostic biomarker for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Gerakan Opini Digital pada #TolakUUCiptaKerja di Twitter dengan Pendekatan Social Network Analysis

The ratification of the UU Cipta Kerja led to objections that were echoed through #TolakUUCiptaKerja whose opinions were widely spread on Twitter. The purpose of this study was to determine the digital opinion movement #TolakUUCiptaKerja on Twitter. The research method used was a mix method by combining quantitative communication network statistics with a sample of 1000 tweet data, the number of actors 355 and 344 relations using netlytic and gephi. Qualitative to analyze text with a digital movement of opinion that results in the dissemination of opinions on the structure of the communication network. The results showed that the #TolakUUCiptaKerja movement was able to create mobility in the opinion of Twitter users, namely 752 or 75.2% positive reactions, 7 or 7% negative reactions and 241 or 24.1% irrelevant in communication networks. The positive reaction was dominated by netizen support for rejecting the legalization of the UU Cipta Kerja. The spread of this hashtag was assisted by popular actors, namely @ramlirizal and @ sandalista1789 as important actors, and 205 out of 355 actors were important actors

Knowledge bases, innovation and sustainability - When tradition meets novelty in the food industry

BackgroundThe established food industry needs to introduce more sustainable products to reach UN goals on food consumption and production. Existing theory on modes of innovation is discussed in relation to two cases where detailed insights through new product development process is known. Scope and approachThis commentary is illustrated with a green plant-based and a blue fish-based product development case. These cases have been used to illustrate how knowledge bases affect product development. Key findings and conclusionsModes of innovation in the established food industry vary from learning by doing to science and technology-based innovation. In line with existing theory, it is believed interpreters of knowledge are important actors for knowledge brokering, due to embodied tacit knowledge and common language not being shared within explicit and tacit knowledge actors. In this commentary, symbolic knowledge is added forming a modified triangle of knowledge surrounded by sustainability as a driver of innovation and new product development.

The analysis of collaboration in educational quality assurance policy: A case study of Walailak University

Collaboration is a contemporary management concept that is considered essential for achieving development policy outcomes. However, research on collaboration and quality assurance policies in higher education in Thailand has been challenging. The aim of this study was to investigate how collaboration contributes to the successful implementation of the educational quality assurance policy at Walailak University.To address this research question, a mixed-method approach was used which combined qualitative and quantitative research methods. This approach was chosen to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the subject and was based on the collaborative governance theory and resource-based framework. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 key informants who are important actors in the quality assurance process at the university. These interviews were supplemented by a questionnaire survey of 400 respondents from various stakeholders at the university.
 The findings of this study showed that facilitative leadership, incentive to collaborate, repetition of effort to collaborate and resource-knowledge sharing are among the key determinants contributing to collaboration processes in educational quality assurance. The results also indicated that these factors are interrelated and can contribute to the successful implementation of the university's quality assurance policy. Based on these findings, models of collaboration in enhancing quality assurance outcomes were demonstrated that resource-knowledge sharing, negotiation, trust-building, commitment to the process and shared-understanding have statistically significant positive impact on educational quality assurance outcomes including producing graduate outcomes, research outcomes, academic services outcomes and preserving arts and cultures. The practical benefits were proposed and discussed.

Integrating oral health assessment in the care for older people by means of the interRAI oral health section: an implementation and evaluation study. 

Background: Oral health of care-dependent older people is generally poor which can affect their general health and well-being. In nursing homes, caregivers such as nurses and nurse aids are important actors for delivering oral care and detecting oral health problems. Performing regular oral health assessments is a key element to improve oral health in older people. The interRAI instrument used in the long-term care facilities (LTCF) includes an oral health section (OHS) and holds the potential to integrate oral care in the general care planning. Since the standard OHS fails to adequately detect oral health problems, an optimized section was developed. The study evaluates the optimized OHS of the interRAI suite of instruments in order to integrate oral health assessment in the daily practice. 
 Setting and participants: Care-dependent older people living in 11 nursing homes in Flanders, Belgium, who are 65 years or older. Their professional caregivers are also included in the study.
 Methods: This 2-year longitudinal cluster randomized controlled trial is set up in three parallel groups (2 test groups and 1 control group) to evaluate the effectiveness and the usability of the optimized and validated OHS for use in the interRAI-LTCF. In the intervention groups T1 and T2, trained caregivers use the interRAI-LTCF with the optimized OHS. Additionally, caregivers in T2 receive support to use new guidelines for oral care. In the control group, caregivers assess oral health using the standard OHS. The study has a longitudinal design with a mixed methods approach.
 The data collected about oral health and general health will be coupled with a national registry database on dental care consumption to analyze the outcome of the OHS regarding dental referral and actual dental care utilization. At the caregiver level, changes in knowledge and attitude regarding oral health will be evaluated using questionnaires. Interviews with older people and focus group discussions with caregivers will help to understand the usability of the optimized OHS and associated training.
 Results: The quantitative results will show whether the use of the optimized OHS enables improved oral health in care-dependent older people in residential care and improves the knowledge, attitude and perception of caregivers towards oral health and oral care. The qualitative data will show how older people and their caregivers experience the use of this OHS and to what extent daily and professional oral health care changes for the older people, being more intensively integrated in general care planning.
 Discussion: In residential care settings, prioritizing care tasks often brings neglect regarding oral care for care-dependent older people. Professional dental care is also difficult to deliver, due to mobility or lack of resources. This study evaluates whether regular oral health assessments performed by caregivers in residential care improve oral health in older people and to what extent these oral health assessments lead to better integration of oral care in general care. The results will shed light on the ongoing situation and will provide evidence to support the use of the optimized OHS and accompanying oral care guidelines in daily practice.

Socializing Warlord Democrats: Analyzing Violent Discursive Practices in Post-Civil War Politics

Abstract Across the world, so-called warlord democrats (WDs) – former military or political leaders of armed groups who subsequently enter formal electoral politics – strongly influence the dynamics and trajectory of post-civil war politics. However, scholarship on war-to-peace transitions and post-conflict politics have often failed to pay attention to the agency of these important actors. This article rectifies this oversight, and thereby adds to the overarching scholarly debate on what enhances or hampers democratic processes after violent conflict. It makes two main contributions. First, by putting an explicit focus on the individual level of analysis and on the agency of WDs, the article opens up an avenue of research that previously has been black-boxed. Second, it demonstrates that the assumptions of socialization theory are particular suitable for enhancing our understanding of variations in the agency of WDs and their impact on post-conflict electoral politics. A novel analytical framework that refines the concept guides the empirical examination of the socialization processes of two WDs over time: Julius Maada Bio, the ex-junta leader who became President of Sierra Leone and Prince Johnson, the ex-warlord in Liberia who became Senator and presidential candidate. The findings suggest that the socialization theory holds promise as a new perspective on the study of WDs, but the theory may also need additional conceptual development and adjustment when applied outside its traditional empirical context and at the individual levels of analysis. Specifically, we find that the democratic socialization of our selected WDs display the characteristics of hybrid socialization, where conflicting normative frameworks result in lopsided socialization processes. But more research is needed on how to empirically distinguish between cost-benefit calculations and a logic of appropriateness, the long-term implications of hybrid socialization, and how to theoretically reconcile individual level socialization processes with that of states or groups.

Development and validation of a simple risk scoring system for a COVID-19 diagnostic prediction mode.

In a resource-constrained situation, a clinical risk stratification system can assist in identifying individuals who are at higher risk and should be tested for COVID-19. This study aims to find a predictive scoring model to estimate the COVID-19 diagnosis." Patients who applied to the emergency pandemic clinic between April 2020 and March 2021 were enrolled in this retrospective study. At admission, demographic characteristics, symptoms, comorbid diseases, chest computed tomography (CT), and laboratory findings were all recorded. Development and validation datasets were created. The scoring system was performed using the coefficients of the odds ratios obtained from the multivariable logistic regression analysis." Among 1187 patients admitted to the hospital, the median age was 58 years old (22-96), and 52.7% were male. In a multivariable analysis, typical radiological findings (OR= 8.47, CI= 5.48-13.10, p< 0.001) and dyspnea (OR= 2.85, CI= 1.71-4.74, p< 0.001) were found to be the two important risk actors for COVID-19 diagnosis, followed by myalgia (OR= 1.80, CI= 1.08- 2.99, p= 0.023), cough (OR= 1.65, CI= 1.16-2.26, p= 0.006) and fatigue symptoms (OR= 1.57, CI= 1.06-2.30, p= 0.023). In our scoring system, dyspnea was scored as 2 points, cough as 1 point, fatigue as 1 point, myalgia as 1 point, and typical radiological findings were scored as 5 points. This scoring system had a sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 76.3% for a cut-off value of >2, with a total score of 10 (p< 0.001). The predictive scoring system could accurately predict the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, which gave clinicians a theoretical basis for devising immediate treatment options. An evaluation of the predictive efficacy of the scoring system necessitates a multi-center investigation.