Issues Of Public Interest Research Articles

Civic Engagement Menggunakan Media Online di Kalangan Anak Muda Kota Padang

Abstract
 The rapid development of the Internet raises questions about how the Internet contributes to the formation of civic engagement, including issues related to public interest. Internet presence raises concerns increasingly fertile individualist values, especially among young people.
 This study intended to investigate form of public participation, especially among young people in the city of Padang and how the role of online media (social media) on the participation of young people in issues of public interest.
 This research is uses qualitative and quantitative methods with interviews, observations, questionnaires as data collection techniques. Social issues, education and health is a major concern young people in the city of Padang, meanwhile political issues are not preference. Political eficacy is the reason for the reluctance to get involved in political issues.
 Keywords: Civic Engagement, Media Online, Media Consumption, Digital Activism, Kota Padang

Urban (Un)Sustainability: Cases of Vilnius’s Informal and Illegal Settings

The current analysis addresses cases of both informal and illegal settlements in Vilnius, Lithuania. By using semiotic means (specifically, semiotic squares), the author presents the Romani district (tabors), as well the Šnipiškės district, describing the circumstances of their emerging and comparing these cases. In addition to that, the philosophical questions about the dichotomies ‘formal/informal’, ‘temporal/eternal’, ‘order/chaos’, ‘legal/illegal’, ‘sustainable/unsustainable’ are discussed. On the one hand, illegal buildings serve as a signal about too high a barrier of bureaucracy, about a surfeit of law and even about the violation of certain rights. On the other hand, some urban districts can become illegal because of a changed urban vision reflected in a new General Plan. The paper also analyzes the issue of public interest. Additionally, the tendency of democratic society to turn into bureaucratic society is analyzed. The paper addresses sensitive issues related to sustainable development of cities, intercultural dialogue and equal opportunities.

Shifting the paradigm: a typology of affected persons’ participation in international institutions

ABSTRACTInternational law and politics are made first and foremost by states, either independently or through their exclusive membership in international organisations. Nevertheless, civil society has had access to intergovernmental decision-making arenas for several decades, mostly through NGOs. Based on Article 71 UN Charter, NGOs have been granted observer status at many international organisations to advocate for public interest issues like the protection of human rights or the environment. This public interest paradigm, however, is increasingly being challenged by the affectedness paradigm. The latter refers to the increasing participation of people who are affected by issues subject to international regulation. So far, legal scholars have largely overlooked this shift. To address this research gap, this paper examines how the affectedness paradigm has become institutionalised at different international organisations and proposes a typology of affected persons’ participation. The paper argues that affected-led advocacy has not replaced public-interest advocacy, but that the affectedness paradigm has been institutionalised in at least three different ways: the subordination, parity, and priority models. They can be placed on a scale with the priority model giving the strongest role to affected population groups.

Mandated network formation

PurposePolicymakers often mandate and regulate the network formation to tackle complex issues of public interest. However, the imposed legal, procedural, and political constraints (i.e. mandated specifications) can affect the structuring and functioning of these networks and thus the sustainability and effectiveness of the collaboration over time. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how mandated specifications affect the formation of public networks.Design/methodology/approachFour networks of healthcare providers were selected and studied from the inception of the collaboration until the services’ activation, focusing specifically on how mandated specifications (i.e. mandated purpose, mechanisms for access to resources, structure, and timing) affected their processes of formation.FindingsThe cases show that mandated purpose facilitates goal alignment within the networks. The leeway granted to the actors for access and internal distribution of resources enhances the network flexibility, if appropriate monitoring against opportunism is applied. If structuring requirements are too stringent and the actors are forced to respect timing constraints that go against the organic evolution of internal relationships, the network capability to adapt and solve conflicts could be jeopardized.Originality/valueBased on the findings, the authors formulate four propositions about the impact that mandated specifications have on the process of network formation, which policymakers should be aware of, when deciding to instigate a network.

The Regulatory Responses of the EU and US Towards Sovereign Investment: Issues, Directions, and Implications on Chinese State Capitalism?

The rise of state capitalism in the field of investment catches the eyes of western countries. The South is actively participating in and embrace economic globalisation while the North is getting stuck and facing frictions. Protectionist stances towards trade and immigration have resulted in more restrictive views of inbound foreign investment in the North. The South sees China becoming an important capital exporter. The EU and US have taken efforts to response to the changing order and issues bring about by foreign investment, especially those conducted by Chinese state-owned investors in sensitive areas. The issues of national security or public interests, lack of reciprocity are frequently expressed by the EU and US towards China investment. This paper therefore compares and discusses the current actions and policies (unilateral, bilateral) adopted by the EU and US that aim to tackle foreign investment. It analyses the issues of Chinese sovereign investment and implications of the EU and US’s attitudes and policies on China’s domestic actions. It further explores the similarities and differences between the EU and US’s approaches, suggests important elements and principles that should be considered into policy-making and are more likely to be accepted by China.

Mudanças nos modos de leitura das notícias e perda de importância da home page

O artigo apresenta os resultados parciais de uma pesquisa que investiga como as mudanças nos modos de leitura das notícias na internet estão provocando mais uma transformação contemporânea no jornalismo: a invisibilidade das home pages dos sites jornalísticos. Analisa como os acessos ao noticiário, por meio de links distribuídos em redes sociais, em ferramentas de busca e nos portais acarretam perda de sentido em um valor fundamental da cultura profissional. Após levantamento de dados sobre novos hábitos de leitura, empreende revisão bibliográfica sobre a home page e utiliza entrevistas em profundidade com jornalistas para compreender o impacto do silêncio da primeira página on-line nas rotinas produtivas. Conclui que, à medida que as notícias se desprendem do contexto original da edição, os profissionais sentem-se desafiados, mas sustentam que é preciso cumprir com sua responsabilidade social, destacando, em manchetes e chamadas, os temas de interesse público.

Predicting Public Interest Issue Campaign Participation on Social Media

This study investigates what motivates people to participate in a social media campaign in the context of animal protection issues. Structural equation modeling (SEM) tested a proposed research model with survey data from 326 respondents. Situational awareness, participation benefits, and social ties influence were positive predictors of social media campaign participation intentions. Situational awareness also partially mediates the relationship between participation benefits and participation intentions as well as strong ties influence and participation intentions. When designing social media campaigns, public interest communicators should raise situational awareness and emphasize participation benefits. Messages shared through social networks, especially via strong ties, also may be more effective than those posted only on official websites or social networking sites (SNSs).

From Editorial Obligation to Procedural Accountability: New Policy Approaches to Online Content in the Era of Information Intermediaries

**This is an early working version of a paper subsequently revised and published in Journal of Cyber Policy 3(2) at doi: 10.1080/23738871.2018.1519030 ** Like all markets, online platforms need rules. Their rules are both written, in the form of community standards, terms of use, commercial contracts and policies, and unwritten, in the code that shapes their interfaces and the algorithms that bring market participants together. When online information intermediaries govern the exchange of news, content and speech, their rules (in this broad Lessigian sense) can raise profound issues of social welfare, cybersecurity and human rights. Information intermediaries are not publishers, but their role in facilitating content discovery means their rules have inevitable ethical implications; they are not merely neutral conduits. The past two years has seen heated debate about intermediaries’ responsibilities with respect to online content. Commentators have alleged that in a wide range of areas, intermediaries’ commercial incentives are insufficient to address harmful or illegal content, and that regulation is required. Arguments for content regulation need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and this paper does not seek to give a general view on the desirability of regulation. However, given that tensions between private market governance and law are inevitable, and will continue to raise issues of public interest, it is important to consider possible regulatory strategies; that is the purpose of this paper.

Between morality and rationality: framing end-of-life care policy through narratives

This paper analyzes the nature of the debate generated prior to the implementation of the Act Respecting End-of-Life Care in 2015 in Quebec (Canada). Including medical assistance in dying (MAID) along existing palliative care services, the act is an important policy change on a very sensitive issue. As such, MAID could be categorized as a morality policy issue, the latter being defined as a particular category of policy because of its specific features (issues of first principle, technical simplicity, high salience, public interest, and public participation). In line with Mucciaroni’s proposition, we rather analyze this issue by understanding morality policy as one of two framing strategies (moral and/or rational-instrumental frame). Our research reconstructs four public opinion framings as advanced and transmitted through the media between 2005 and 2015. It shows that although opponents to the bill unsurprisingly framed the debate in deontological terms, mostly referring to sanctity of life as one of the most important values in society, they also framed it on rational-instrumental grounds in a similar proportion, alleging the danger of a slippery slope and potential abuse. As well, if some of the proponents favored a moral framing centered on the argument that dignity and individual autonomy take precedence over all other values, others put forward a rational-instrumental one, where the slippery slope/abuse argument is used as a cautionary statement against the artificial prolongation of life. Our analysis reinforces Mucciaroni’s and Ferraiolo’s assertions that sensitive issues classified as morality policy cannot be apprehended solely through the unidimensional frame of morality.

Harnessing the Twittersphere: How using social media can benefit government ethics offices

AbstractEthics commissioners who strive to be innovative may be able to exploit opportunities that have emerged as a result of growing public interest in issues of government ethics and transparency. This article explores how social media has driven greater public interest in political discourse, and I offer some suggestions for how government ethics offices can effectively harness the power of these social tools. I argue that, by thinking outside the box, ethics commissioners can take advantage of low‐cost opportunities to inform and empower the public in a way that propels government ethics forward without the need for legislative change.

Quando o campo são os patrimônios: conhecimento e práticas científicas na esfera pública

Este artigo apresenta algumas notas que visam refletir sobre os desafios enfrentados por antropólogos/as que pesquisam em campo patrimonial. A narrativa breve de dois casos específicos visa apontar obstáculos que se apresentam nesse fazer antropológico e iluminar o caminho para (1) a reflexão sobre o papel dos antropólogos e da antropologia face aos dilemas e desafios que se delineiam em determinadas agendas de ações do Estado no caso dos patrimônios e (2) sobre que tipo de conhecimento tem sido produzido e como tem impactado questões de interesse público.

Media Capacity Building in Sudan: A Measure of Success?

ABSTRACTA five-year, media capacity-building programme in Sudan gives some valuable pointers about how to keep a media-development programme alive—and the positive results that can be achieved through perseverance and a collaborative effort by stakeholders. The results included the introduction of a new reporting style that highlighted issues of public interest, not previously understood, and journalists who were given the confidence to minimise self-censorship.

Anthropology’s relevance at a global right turn

A decrease in the importance of anthropologists’ participation in public debates can be traced to a number of factors, some inherent to the discipline, others not. Triviality, high specialization levels and neglecting issues of broad public interest are problems that must be debated. Additionally, the current resurgence of racist and intolerant discourses points to the possible opening of a “post-multicultural” era in which anthropological knowledge must be re-posited. The internet is another important variable for understanding contemporary anti-intellectualism in that it gives rise to a renewed illusion of transparency that seemingly renders social science useless. Ethnography—with its ability to bring us closer to cultural agents—is a base for anthropologists’ new engagement with their political and public roles.

Constitutional and post-constitutional problems: Reconsidering the issues of public interest, agonistic pluralism and private property in planning

In the field of planning theory the discussion often seems to assume that all problems – for example, ethical or political ones – pertain to a single level or dimension. In fact, different and clearly separate “levels”, which raise problems of different kinds, can be distinguished. A “multi-level” approach therefore seems necessary. The underlying idea is that it is essential to distinguish more sharply between two analytical levels: the constitutional and post-constitutional levels. These levels are here understood mainly as analytical levels; that is, as standpoints that anyone can – at any time and even only hypothetically – assume to posit certain problems at the appropriate level and treat them by acknowledging the argumentative requirements suited to that level. This article uses such a multi-level approach to address three fundamental and currently much debated problems of planning theory and practice: the issue of “agonistic pluralism”; the issue of “public interest”; the question of “private ownership (of land)”. The contribution of this article falls within the neoinstitutionalist approaches to planning. The belief is that these approaches are shedding new light on planning problems and that research in this direction should be expanded. In this regard, this article attempts to make a contribution to this research perspective especially in analytical and methodological terms.

Discursive constructions of the summer 2015 refugee crisis: A comparative analysis of French, Dutch, Belgian francophone and British centre-of-right press narratives

Abstract Studies in Communication Science indicate that repeated exposure to media has considerable potential to shape audience attitudes to and (dis)engagement with reported issues of public interest, such as migration flows. Therefore, this study examines representation practices of refugees in right-leaning elite press narratives of French-language Belgium, the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands at the peak of the EU refugee crisis summer 2015. The discourse-analytical approach probes into the interpretative aspects of the news content by examining representation practices like collectivization/individuation of the protagonists and assignment of positive/negative semantic roles to the refugees, thereby giving/depriving them of agency and potentially enlisting readers’ compassion or creating a discourse of moral panic. To see whether the refugees have become the object of politicization, we also explore the semantic roles assigned to the three most frequently mentioned non-refugee actors common to the four newspapers (the EU, Germany and Hungary).

Issues of Confidentiality and Public Interest: A Case Study from a Library Perspective

In 2004, Zimbabwe suffered a number of undocumented challenges, including the externalisation of billions of United States (US) dollars. This was associated with the buying of assets abroad with foreign currency acquired in Zimbabwe. A number of prominent public figures were implicated in these transactions, leading to investigations which did not spare libraries from revealing information about patrons. Libraries connected to institutions, such as the police, hospitals and parliament, have information that is of interest to researchers and, like any other library, also store patron records, which are considered to be of public interest. This article reports on a study that explored a court case where information was provided by the Parliament of Zimbabwe library. The study used a case study methodology and reviewed information in the literature relating to confidentiality and public interest issues, as well as the use of a decision-making model and documents to identify existing operating procedures, if any. The study pointed to the debatable issue of public interest and the need for clear laws on the confidentiality and privacy of patrons in Zimbabwe. It also highlighted the importance for Library and Information Science (LIS) practitioners to understand the legal issues relating to the confidentiality of patron records. Accordingly, clear guidelines are important for decisionmaking when such practitioners are faced with the need to provide patron records. A simple decision-making model is thus recommended to complement existing legislation. Although the story of the court case appeared in local papers in Zimbabwe, placing the case study in a research context provides a useful tool for LIS students and practitioners.

The defamatory potential of ad hominem criticism: guidance for advocacy in public forums

Ad hominem criticism seeks to discredit an argument by attacking the qualities of the arguer, rather than the merits of the argument. Although there are compelling reasons to avoid ad hominem criticism, it may sometimes be appropriate as a means of responding to ‘expert’ arguments advanced in public forums. However, conservation biologists should evaluate the defamatory potential of any proposed ad hominem criticism and consider whether the criticism: (1) impugns a person’s reputation in a trade, profession or business; (2) has a factual grounding that is based on evidence that could be used in court; and (3) is better formulated as a statement of opinion than as a statement of fact. From a defamation perspective, the purpose and context for an ad hominem criticism is critical and conservation biologists should always consider whether, if viewed objectively, their conduct in making the criticism would be assessed as fair-minded, reasonable, and supportive of debate over an issue of public interest. Isolated and unsupported ad hominem remarks should not be made. Conservation biologists should also be aware that there are circumstances in which critiques of the methods, analyses, logical approaches, and conclusions of an expert could be said to be defamatory of that person, but that courts also recognise the importance of scientific debate. Conservation biologists should carefully consider the wording of any proposed ad hominem criticism, particularly in terms of the precise facts to be alleged and the particular evaluative words or phrases to be applied, and should also ensure that the criticism has a proper purpose, is well supported, and clearly distinguishes between comments that express an opinion and those that state a fact.

News Media Coverage on Human Rights Issues: Comparative Analysis of the Times of India and the Hindu

The media is a powerful tool to reform the society as it creates consciousness among the people regarding their rights and responsibilities. In a democratic country, media is essentially reckoned as an ombudsman, protector and agenda setter. In other words, media can ensure that the voices of the marginalised sections of the society be heard by governments. Although news media organisations can cover limited number of issues related to human rights violations due to the organisational limitations and pre-determined ideological tone of their respective organisations, the crucial role played by them in creating consciousness among people cannot be underestimated. As soon as print media give priority to news items related to human rights, it gets fomented and becomes the issue of public interest. Keeping in mind the importance of the media agenda, it has been attempted in the present study to investigate, understand and describe the content of various issues relevant to human rights in two mainstream National English dailies–The Hindu and The Times of India. Further, the study explores the existing frames in the news discourse through framing analysis technique. It is found that newspapers under study given more emphasis on negative aspects of human rights related issues. However, there has been a slight difference in tone of reporting between two newspapers under study while covering news related to human rights violations.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ЕКОЛОГО-ЕКОНОМІЧНОГО РОЗВИТКУ У ПРОЦЕСІ ФОРМУВАННЯ ЕКОЛОГІЧНО БЕЗПЕЧНОЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ

Introduction . In Ukraine, the theme of ecological and economic optimization of territorial development is extremely relevant, because in our country there are numerous sources of formation of environmentally threatening environment and zones of environmental disasters. At the same time, the need to stabilize the situation and ensure the further development of the domestic economy requires finding a balance between resource support for solving environmental and economic problems without giving tangible priority to any of the named parties. Purpose . The purpose of the paper is to specify possible approaches to environmental and economic development in the process of formation of an environmentally safe economy. Methods. The method of theoretical analysis, the method of generalization, comparison ae used. Results. The peculiarities of the current stage of ecological and economic development of Ukraine are: introduction of the system of technical regulation in the processes of using natural resources (standards of products, standards of technological processes, maximum permissible emission standards, etc.); development and implementation of environmental technologies, use of renewable energy sources, etc.; involving citizens in the process of environmental and economic regulation through raising awareness of the population on environmental issues, raising environmental literacy. Originality. The article substantiates the necessity of directing the vector of further development of the economic system of Ukraine in the direction of formation of an environmentally safe economy. The views of two trends of the ideologues of sustainable economic development that are necessary for the formation of an environmentally safe economy are considered. A number of important and consistent steps, which the Ukrainian government needs to do in the direction of transformation of the traditional economic system to start its green growth, is specified. The main positive effects of ecologically safe economy for business and population of the country are determined. Conclusion. The reasons for the further development of national ecological and economic regulation systems are the same for all countries of the world. Among them characteristic for Ukraine are strengthening the exploitation of the mineral-raw material base for economic growth; an increase in the technogenic load on the environment caused by economic growth; repeated increase of damage as a result of man-made accidents and ecological disasters; the need to establish state control over the use of water, forest, mineral resources and other resources; increase of ecological activity and public interest in issues of environmental protection, the emergence of civil society, etc. By studying the mechanisms of ecological and economic development for the formation of an environmentally safe economy, built by the G-20 countries, we can assume that there are at least three approaches to the regulation of such development in Ukraine. First, it is an approach that uses a rigid system of administrative regulations, regulatory and technical requirements, and penalties for violations. Secondly, it is an approach based on creating economic incentives for economic entities to introduce into their activities the principles of environmental risk taking (soft), and, thirdly, an approach that is a combination of elements of the first and second approach (mixed).

Democratization Makes Strange Bedfellows: The Legalization of Equity Crowdfunding

The digitalization of entrepreneurial finance has paved the way for new disruptive funding models such as platform-based equity crowdfunding. Owing to the interests of several disparate groups, the ensuing discourse leading to the ultimate legalization of equity crowdfunding was a dynamic process involving many different stakeholders, which is a marked change from the closed-door sessions more commonly associated with securities regulations. Based upon our analysis of a unique longitudinal dataset, we propose that digital crowdfunding and entrepreneurial finance, in general, have become a public interest issue, and therefore the opportunities and implications are more notable than previously depicted.