Logic Of Governance Research Articles

Security technology, urban prototyping, and the politics of failure

In response to broader political and corporate tendencies towards ‘techno-solutionism’, critical studies of security technology highlight the threat that security technologies pose to civil rights and democratic accountability. This article argues for a slightly different perspective: rather than taking claims of technological efficacy at face value, it explores the multiple ways in which security-related technology so frequently fails to deliver its – confidently anticipated or feared – effects. A focus on sociotechnical failure can offer more comprehensive, on-the-ground understanding of the technopolitics of security. We suggest that these politics may lie precisely in the blurring of concepts of failure and success, as ‘prototyping’ and experimentation become an increasingly powerful logic of urban governance. This argument is developed through an analysis of security interventions in Jamaica, a context characterized by high levels of violent crime. The article focuses on three technologies that have been adapted to security-related purposes: a communication channel connecting police and private security guards, a public–private CCTV network, and a smart electricity grid. Drawing on approaches from science and technology studies, the article adopts a process-oriented approach, attending to both the discourses surrounding the introduction of these technologies and their everyday interactions with their social and built environments.

Explicating the contextuality of corporate governance through ownership structure and family management: evidence from an emerging economy

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of family management and ownership structure, including foreign ownership and business group ownership, on corporate performance.Design/methodology/approachUsing an agency perspective and a quantitative research methodology, this study examines listed firms in Pakistan from 2009 to 2018.FindingsThe results suggest that family management and concentrated leadership constrain, whereas family leadership, foreign ownership and group ownership strengthen monitoring effectiveness and corporate performance. These findings imply that the shareholder governance logic offers optimal solutions in an emerging economy, as relational governance may activate agency problems.Originality/valueThe findings are consistent with the relevance of relational governance mechanisms in the form of family leadership. However, the results suggest that emerging economies require a hybrid governance model to address their unique agency problems, thereby underlining context relevance in corporate governance scholarship. Furthermore, this research adopts a thick view of institutions to clarify institutional embeddedness and corporate governance contextuality in an emerging economy.

Has Property Rights Reform of China’s Farmland Water Facilities Improved Farmers’ Irrigation Efficiency?—Evidence from a Typical Reform Pilot in China’s Yunnan Province

China is implementing a pilot project to reform the property rights of farmland water facilities to solve the serious problems of chaotic end-of-pipe governance and inefficient irrigation from farmers. Based on microscopic research data of farm households in a typical pilot in Lu Liang County, Yunnan Province, in China, this study uses the Tobit model, and SEM was used to explore the impact of property rights reform on the irrigation efficiency of farmers and the potential mechanism paths. We further analyzed the differences in governance logic and irrigation efficiency between the two property rights models of “multiple cooperative governance” and “private contract governance” formed after the reform. The findings are as follows: (1) Compared with nonreformed areas, reformed areas have a higher promotion of adoption of water-saving technologies and a better quality of facility maintenance, which significantly contributes to irrigation efficiency, but farmers’ perception of water scarcity negatively affects irrigation efficiency; (2) there are differences between the “multiple cooperative governance model” and “private contract governance model” in terms of the mechanism paths to improve irrigation efficiency, resulting in different focuses between the two models, in which the former one has better irrigation efficiency while cutting off some of the farmers’ benefits and the latter benefits more farmers while losing some of the irrigation efficiency. Finally, this study recommends that China should continue to promote the reform of farmland water property rights while focusing on promoting water conservation technologies, improving the quality of facility maintenance and facility water supply capacity, enhancing farmers’ awareness of water scarcity, and implementing a more water-efficient “multiple cooperative governance model”. The results of this study provide a model with Chinese characteristics for developing property rights policies and governance models for farmland water facilities in developing countries.

The collaborative strategy of data governance of state-owned enterprises in China

The new transformation spawned by digitization brings a new change in the logic of data governance. In recent years, the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) of China has been strengthening the construction of data governance system, but there are still a series of key issues that need to be solved. It is urgent to carry out research on issues related to data governance, to play the data elements of the amplification, superposition and multiplier effect. This study analyzes the new requirements of data governance in the new situation and the reasons for the non-synergy of data governance of SOEs. Then this research proposes the collaborative optimization strategy of data governance in the SOEs. The main findings of this research are as followed: On the one hand, the reasons for the lack of synergy in the SOEs’ data governance are comprehensively analyzed. On the other hand, some key strategies for the optimization of the company’s data governance synergy are proposed. For example, this stuty proposes to build multilevel data governance internal market, design internal market transaction elements, create internal market operation management mechanism, establish internal market performance evaluation and assessment mechanism, and improve the internal market-oriented and efficient operation supporting capacity.

Power space and governance performance: An analysis based on the Shanghai Urban Neighborhood Survey

Why do communities in different spatial areas display different types of governance performance? Applying the perspective of spatial theory, this paper proposes an analytical concept of “power space”. The concept refers to the distance between a community and the municipal administrative power center. Based on data drawn from the Shanghai Urban Neighborhood Survey, this study examines the variation in governance performance across communities located in different areas of the spatial structure of city power, and analyzes the causes and mechanisms underlying these differences. The study suggests that the spatial distance between the community and the center of governance power is not merely physical and geographical in nature but also social and political. We find that the distance to the center of power has a significant effect on the types of community governance performance that are easily observable, but little effect on those that are less perceptible. This reveals that power space exerts a strong effect on phenomena that can be easily recognized by higher-level officials, but not on phenomena that are less visible but nevertheless appreciated by the residents. Such a pattern can be explained by the current governance performance assessment system and incentive mechanism. Power space exerts an influence through the mechanisms of public resource allocation and governance performance benchmarks, which are equally applicable to other areas of social governance. In sum, this study contributes to the understanding of the underlying logic of grassroots social governance in contemporary China.

社区养老服务协同治理的内在逻辑

社区养老服务协同治理的内在逻辑

The theoretical logic and practical path of community emotional governance: From the perspective of differential pattern

The theoretical logic and practical path of community emotional governance: From the perspective of differential pattern

Guest Editorial: Ecological knowledge co‐production and the contested imaginaries of development in Southeast Asia

Guest Editorial: Ecological knowledge co‐production and the contested imaginaries of development in Southeast Asia

A review of the application of digital identity in the Metaverse

The development of the internet has immensely expanded people’s social scope, which has necessitated the utilization of digital identity. In regard to social networks, the utilization of anonymity or pseudonyms increases the attractiveness of the network. Nevertheless, because online payments, online transactions, and online assets are becoming prevalent features, virtualization is gradually exhibiting highly negative impacts. With respect to the Metaverse, digital identity is potentially a key factor, which can influence the balance that affects the association between anonymity and pseudonyms. To enhance the contemporary scenario and to facilitate the potential utilization of digital identity, this study considers the application of digital identity in the Metaverse, and it utilizes the “Enterprise IA” miniature model (Morey et al.). With regard to the current debate on digital identity, we analyzed the most prominent topic; thus, we explored the application rules pertaining to digital identity. We propose that the Metaverse is primarily characterized by its ability to digitalize the physical world. Furthermore, with respect to digital identity, the power of ownership still represents the fundamental issue. Using technologies such as blockchain and privacy filters, we can not only alter the governance logic and methods, but we can also balance the correlation between private rights and public interests. Thus, to solve the burgeoning identity trust crisis, individual competition for identity authorization rights, and privacy problems that characterize the Metaverse, we explore novel governance approaches.

Knowledge Ecology and Policy Governance of Green Finance in China-Evidence from 2469 Studies.

CiteSpace was used to visualize the knowledge ecology of the green finance research literature in CNKI and WOS, and NVivo software was used to root the code analysis of the current green finance policies in China. From the analysis of the research hotspots, both in China and internationally, great importance is attached to the research on green finance, and the research on green financialization has broad prospects. The core group of authors on green finance research in China has taken shape, whereas the core group of authors of green finance research in the rest of the world has not yet taken shape. There is a lack of close cooperation and a relatively low level of communication among important domestic green finance research institutions, and a certain scale of cooperation network has been formed among influential international institutions. The major countries for influential international green finance research are Singapore, France, Switzerland, Canada and Saudi Arabia, and the international influence of China's green finance needs to be improved. Both domestic and foreign countries attach great importance to the balance between economic growth and the low-carbon green transition. China attaches more importance to macroeconomic development and strategic transition, but internationally, the trend is toward microcorporate green performance, policy optimization and market innovation. The research focus of green finance has achieved in three stages of evolution, namely, green industry in the early stage, green services in the middle stage and green strategy in the near future. International green finance research focuses on climate change, market players, government performance, social responsibility sharing, etc. In particular, reducing the cost of green development is the focus of international green finance. The domestic focus is on climate risk, carbon neutrality, carbon peak, low-carbon transition, carbon reduction, and green transition themes. Internationally, the focus is on financial performance, decisions, green finance, credit, drivers, quality, socially responsible investment and other topics. Considering the practical implementation of green finance in China, the governance logic of China's green finance policy consists of five main categories: policy belief, policy objective, policy tool, policy feedback and policy cycle. In the future, the development and improvement of China's green finance policy should achieve breakthroughs in the following aspects: first, guiding the main body of green finance policy to firmly establish policy beliefs; second, improving the clarity of green finance policy objectives; third, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the governance of green financial policy instruments; fourth, strengthening the green finance incentive policy feedback system construction; and fifth, improving the quality of green finance policy cycles.

Innovation and Optimization Logic of Grassroots Digital Governance in China under Digital Empowerment and Digital Sustainability

In the digital age, digital resources are naturally sustainable, and they have become the basic technologies and platforms by which to maintain the sustainable development of the social economy. At a time when global epidemic prevention and control are becoming increasingly dynamic, digital empowerment has become a basic tool by which to promote sustainable social and economic development. In terms of digital empowerment, grassroots digital empowerment has become the most critical and urgent link to strengthen. In this study, a literature analysis using CiteSpace and NVivo software shows that the research prospects of grassroots digital governance are broad, but there is a lack of communication and cooperation between the research subjects, and a cooperative network of close and benign interaction has not been formed. There are many hot topics in the research, mainly focusing on five aspects: digitalization, grassroots governance, digital governance, digital technology, and digital countryside. The theme of these papers is changing to digital empowerment, technology empowerment, and “digital intelligence governance”. These characteristics and problems correspond to the practice of digital governance at the grassroots level in China. Therefore, in the theory and practice of Chinese grassroots digital governance, we must adhere to the problem-oriented principle and take “problem-driven” as the basic logic of grassroots digital governance. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the complexity of China’s grassroots communities and the stages of governance technology, adhere to the principles of integrated development and collaborative innovation, and take “mixed governance” as the main logic of grassroots digital governance. Generally speaking, we should realize optimization in the innovation of grassroots digital governance from three aspects, namely, strengthening the integration of grassroots digital systems, improving the ability to solve the problems of digital governance, and advancing the transformation of grassroots digital governance with incremental governance logic.

Magnetic effect of government responsiveness on public participation: An empirical analysis based on the provincial Leadership Message Board in China

The relationship of government responsiveness and public participation is an important issue of the opinion-policy nexus theory. Based on the “Leadership Message Board” 31 province of China, this study systematically investigated the effect of government responsiveness on public participation. The results find government responsiveness has a magnetic effect on public participation, and the response efficiency, response actors, and response discourse have different effects on public participation. Besides, response discourse has a moderating effect on the influence of high-level response and authoritative department response on public participation. This study provides a new perspective for understanding the governance logic of government responsiveness.

Bureaucracy Meets Digital Reality: The unfolding of urban platforms in European municipal governments

The rise of digital technologies provides an opportunity to study smart cities as new organizational forms. We ask whether and how digital platforms and ecosystems affect the bureaucratic governance of municipal governments. To this end, we offer a multiple case analysis based on rich empirical, longitudinal data of seven European smart cities. We find that the contradicting logic of platform governance creates organizational tensions within the bureaucratic municipal government and at the interface between the municipal government and its external partners. We distil a process that describes how these tensions are resolved through a temporary shift to a non-bureaucratic work mode, and the subsequent formalization and institutionalization of those practices as new bureaucratic rules. We make three contributions. First, we contribute to the smart-city literature by outlining an overarching process of how data-driven technologies affect bureaucratic municipal governments. Second, we contribute to the ongoing conversation about the changing nature of Weberian bureaucracy showing how bureaucracy preserves its core while simultaneously adapting to and shaping its environment. Third, we highlight the role of lower-echelon bureaucrats as change agents who devise rules at the intersection of technological and societal development.

The logic of recreation space governance in forest parks based on the theory of space production

Forest parks are among the most important reserves. Forest recreation reflects the time requirements for resource usage and economic coordination for sustainable development. Human activities in forest parks are a major force for continuing space production. However, with the rapid development of forest recreation, expanded spaces and excessive expectations make sustainable development a great challenge. Analyzing the spaces of forest recreation; making conclusions about the spatial features; and analyzing requests regarding multiple characters, multi-functions, and land usage are all done through the process of space production, which based on the “Three Dimensions.” According to the problems of space alienation occurring in forest recreation, this paper proposes that the logic of space governance should return to the nature of the Three Dimensions itself. “Space justice production” and “reconstruction of we” should also offer countermeasures and advice for building a classification mechanism for the rights, responsibilities, and interests of recreation spaces; establishing recreation space control zones and strategies; and promoting space expansion simulations and facility scale measurement. The construction of spatial relationships and forms of social, ecological, and natural justice is necessary to offer a new method of space production and consumption balance for natural reserves.

Governing by slogans

Throughout recorded history, slogans have been an important part of our public life. From political rhetoric and propaganda, to social movements and awareness-raising campaigns, their usage has overcome historical periods, cultural barriers, ethnic affiliation, political systems, party allegiance or personal taste. Arguably more than any other linguistic ‘device’, slogans deliver a clearly recognizable message with as little complexity as possible. Nevertheless, despite their rhetorical ‘economy’, the narratives provided by slogans have also been associated with a simplified or even reductionist portrayal of otherwise complex or controversial phenomena. This article aims to address a range of previously neglected aspects associated with slogans and governmentality. The introductory part provides a genealogy of discussions over slogans and the main shortcomings the use of slogans has been associated with. The central part takes a closer look at zero tolerance, a flagship policy associated with the neoliberal logic of governance. The concluding part of this article outlines the subversive character associated with the mechanism of sloganization.

Exploring the Behavioral Logic of Dual-track Poverty Governance under the Industrial Poverty Alleviation Field

Exploring the Behavioral Logic of Dual-track Poverty Governance under the Industrial Poverty Alleviation Field

Accommodation and Avoidance: Functional Conflict Theory (FCT)-Based Governance Logic of Resettled Community Conflict in China

The resettled community is a special type of transitional community in China where the residents are urbanized peasants who lost their lands during urbanization development. However, resettled community conflicts (RCCs) are barriers to sustainable community transformation. Focusing on functional conflict, this study identified the conflicts in the resettled community and proposed feasible governance logic for RCCs. The research in this article has a significant theoretical foundation in functional conflict theory. By examining a large sample of cases, seven RCC types were identified (e.g., inner discontent of residents, mass incidents), of which three have positive functions and four have negative impacts. Furthermore, three RCC causes were identified: right-based, interest-based, and value-based conflicts. Their mechanisms for the conflict function are, respectively, the contextual dual-functional, destructive one-way, and structural dual-functional paths. Considering these findings, we propose a dual governance logic of RCC: accommodation and avoidance. Within the dual logic, specific governance strategies are proposed for the different RCC causes and their functional formation paths. This research serves as an important reference for proper policy measures to govern RCCs and promote the sustainable transformation of resettled communities. The methodology adopted can be extended to the study of RCC in broader global contexts.

Gender Politics of “Illiberal Pragmatics” in the Polish Defense Sector

<p>Since 2015, the illiberal Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość [PiS]) government in Poland has engaged in campaigns against “gender ideology,” rolling back several equality mechanisms and provisions, and mainstreaming traditionalist values into state policy. Following from this, scholarship has predominantly addressed PiS gender politics through the concepts of anti-gender backlash and gender backsliding. Against this background, Polish defense policy constitutes a puzzling realm that significantly escapes these frameworks, revealing instead a mix of backsliding, institutional and discursive continuity, and positive gender change. While the displacement of the Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment office has erased similar bodies in the defense sector, the government has swiftly created a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, strengthened the Armed Forces Women’s Council, and continued prior policy and discourse on women’s service. Meanwhile, the increased defense preparations following the war in eastern Ukraine have doubled women’s percentage in the armed forces, partially regendering the very idea and practice of defense. To explore this ambiguity, the article draws from feminist institutionalism and multi-sited sociological methods. It proposes to move beyond backlash towards the analytical concept of illiberal pragmatics—a complex, gendered logic of governance which seeks to balance illiberals’ dedication to national sovereignty with pragmatic political, security, demographic, and economic considerations. Under illiberal pragmatics, women’s interests are pursued within a more conservative framework, with gender norms simultaneously upheld and destabilized across different realms. Nevertheless, the key feature of illiberal gender politics lies not in backsliding, but in a pragmatic balancing act between national integrity and structural pressures for change.</p>

Making it work: women, land and labour in West Karbi Anglong, Assam

ABSTRACT The article seeks to understand how the deepening logic of neoliberal governmentality transforms the lives, labour and access to resources such as land, for women in West Karbi Anglong, Assam, Northeast India. It explores new forms of social (in)equality and mobility in gender relations and community dynamics in Sixth Schedule districts, tracing the evolving conjuncture between community, state and the market. We approach this question in two ways: first, how the neoliberal market rationality reconstitutes and is reconstituted by existing customs of inheritance, patterns of labour, notions of community and belonging, and gender relations; second, the strategies that women adopt in a context where forms of women’s work and modes of access to resources such as land are going through rapid changes. The aim is to encourage critical reflections on women’s access/rights to land and their labour in the Sixth Schedule areas, and what changes with the neoliberal turn.

Debilitating mobilities: the logic of governance in Brazil’s military-humanitarian response

The recent political and economic crisis in Venezuela has given rise to an increase in Venezuelan migrants and refugees to Brazil. Situated in the northern state of Roraima, bordering Venezuela, this research explores the military-humanitarian response coordinated by the Brazilian government. Investigating the underpinning logic of such a humanitarian approach highlights the ways in which vulnerable mobile groups are offered support, while at the same time, are tightly governed for the protection of state security. I argue that Brazil’s military-humanitarian approach to mobility governance reflects a logic of debility that works to control migrants. This logic emerges through subtle forms of violence and consequently reinforces migrant vulnerabilities, keeping them in a cyclical loop of exclusion. This paper addresses the militarisation of the response across the urban streetscape of the city of Boa Vista, including humanitarian spaces of care, to investigate processes of securitisation and hygienisation. By doing so, this paper contributes to timely discussions on military-humanitarianism and draws attention to South-South mobilities and the salient geographies of Brazil and Latin America more broadly.