Normative Theory Research Articles

Analisis Dasar Pertimbangan Hakim Praperadilan pada Perkara Penetapan Tersangka Tindak Pidana Korupsi Dana Desa

Ensuring the preservation of human rights and the coherence of law enforcement's tasks are predicated on the pre-trial provisions of the criminal procedure legislation. As part of its mission to ensure that the criminal justice system is fair, the pretrial facility has put safeguards in place to monitor the effectiveness with which police officers carry out their tasks. All eyes are on the judge's evaluation of the law's applicability in light of pre-trial judgment 4/Pid.Pra/2022/PN.Kla. Normative and empirical theories of law are both used in this study's methodology. Primary data collected from the field and secondary data collected from various relevant legal sources are both used in this study. The study team included a law school professor, a prosecutor from the South Lampung District Prosecutor's office, and a judge from the Kalianda District Court. The court considered the following factors in rendering pretrial decision 4/Pid.Pra/2022/PN.Kla, in accordance with the study's conclusions: Instead of using the seizure reports and records that initially connected the suspect to the South Lampung District Prosecutor's Office ( Respondent) as evidence, the judgment was based on legal, social, and philosophical factors. Beyond that, the applicant was not suspected of being the subject of an official audit by the State Financial Loss Calculation Audit (PKKN). In order to establish a monetary loss to the state, the investigator must explicitly recognize a critical component that forms the foundation or risk of the inquiry. All of the applicant's pretrial requests were therefore granted by the court. The officials tasked with carrying out the pretrial decision's enforcement have finished their task. Kla is based on the multi-stage execution of criminal legislation.

How do perceptions of others’ approval of, and engagement in, hand-held phone use influence young drivers? A mixed-method study

Engagement in hand-held phone use while driving is a prevalent issue among young drivers. Therefore, it is important to identify contributors to the behaviour. Social Norm Theory suggests that the perceptions of others’ approval of, and engagement in, a behaviour can influence one’s own engagement in the same behaviour. These perceptions can result in increased engagement in risky behaviours if they are over- or under- estimated. The current study implemented a mixed-method design to explore young drivers’ perceptions regarding their peers’/friends’ approval of, and engagement in, hand-held phone use while driving, and to identify the relative influence of perceived social norms on hand-held phone use while driving among young drivers. Overall, 510 young drivers completed a survey and 30 young drivers participated in interviews. Surveys and interviews questioned participants opinions on their own and others (peers and friends) approval of, and engagement in, hand-held phone use while driving. Quantitative results indicated that young drivers believe others approve of, and engage in, hand-held phone use while driving more than themselves. Perceived social norms significantly predicted increasing engagement in hand-held phone use while driving, however the magnitude of the effects were very small. Qualitative data provided a richer understanding of the topic, suggesting that the effects may be larger in certain groups who are particularly influenced by their peers/friends. Implications for future research are discussed with particular focus on exploring the use of a social norm approach in realigning perceptions of others approval of, and engagement in, hand-held phone use while driving.

When Should Popular Views be Included in a Reflective Equilibrium?

AbstractIt has become increasingly common to conduct research on popular views on ethical questions. In this paper, we discuss when and to what extent popular views should be included in a reflective equilibrium process, thereby influencing normative theory. We argue that popular views are suitable for inclusion in a reflective equilibrium if they approximate considered judgments and examine some factors that plausibly contribute to the consideredness of popular views. We conclude that deliberation and familiarity contribute to the consideredness of popular views, whereas prevalence does not. Furthermore, we raise the “fair trial” objection: that expert deliberation on popular views might fail to respect the consideredness of these views. Eliciting views approximating considered judgments directly from participants is therefore preferable to refining popular views or treating them as “bare” intuitions in the reflective process. These conclusions have important implications for which research methods will likely elicit popular views suitable for a reflective equilibrium process. Research focusing on the prevalence of views is unlikely to yield popular views suitable for a reflective equilibrium, whereas deliberative and in-depth work is more promising.

Recruiting carers for older children and youth: Messages and methods of media campaigns

In recent decades, foster care systems across western countries have entered a state of crisis with the volume of children entering care outpacing new foster carers. Recruiting carers for older children and youth is particularly challenging, as most new foster carers and adoptive parents prefer younger children. This study reviews out-of-home care recruitment campaigns that target carers for older children and youth, across selected English-speaking countries. A total of 89 campaigns across five countries were analysed to identify common messages and use of persuasive methods (appeal to logic, emotion and character). Three categories of themes underpin the messages used to motivate people to care for an older child: child-focused, carer-focused and community-focused messages. To enhance the recruitment campaigns for carers of older children, the authors draw upon persuasion and social norms theories to recommend a framework integrating message framing, trusted and reliable messengers, collective values of target audience and use of persuasive methods.

An Experiment on the Press Coverage of Child Sexual Abuse: Can Readers Differentiate Between Good and Bad Reporting?

ABSTRACT News reporting on child sexual abuse (CSA) plays an important role in educating the public and fighting sexual violence, according to the public interest model of normative media theory. Bad reporting, however, is widespread and hinders a solution-oriented approach. Against this backdrop, the current study investigated which normative and subjective criteria are used by readers when they assess the quality of CSA newspaper reporting (RQ1). Furthermore, it was tested if readers can differentiate between good and bad CSA reporting quality (RQ2) and if their personal involvement in the topic—concerning victimization, exposure to CSA reporting, CSA knowledge—influences assessments of journalistic quality (RQ3). An experimental online study with a national quota sample of N = 2724 adults (18–65 years; M age = 44.1; 52.5% women) from Germany was conducted in 2020. The study is preregistered and further materials are shared on osf.io. It turned out that readers mostly used the normative criteria to assess CSA reporting quality that are suggested by the academic literature (RQ1). Readers were able to differentiate between CSA reporting with high versus low journalistic quality (RQ2)—irrespective of their own CSA victimization (RQ3). Readers rated bad reporting as mediocre, though, indicating potential unawareness of certain quality issues.

Parameter optimization of vibration control system for adjacent building structures based on negative stiffness inerter damper

Building structures are subjected to strong earthquakes, which result in lateral collisions between them. Such collisions often cause severe structural damage and exacerbate the seismic hazard risk of building structures during earthquake events. This paper discusses the application of vibration control devices based on negative stiffness inerter damper in single-story adjacent building structures. The dynamic equations of the vibration control system containing different types of negative stiffness inerter damper under seismic excitation are established as a unified model. The H2 norm theory and Monte Carlo pattern search method are used to optimize the design parameters to improve the vibration control performance of the system, and the dynamic characteristics of the system are investigated. The results demonstrate that attaching negative stiffness inerter damper to adjacent building structures can effectively improve the overall seismic capacity reserve of the building and reduce the risk of collision of adjacent building structures; improve the robustness and stability of the system, and better reduce the displacement response of the building structure under seismic excitation. In addition, the potential of NSID-based vibration control devices to convert seismic energy into usable electricity has been investigated.

Party games and prejudice: are these Cards Against Humanity?

Abstract Two experiments assess the validity of common criticisms against the popular party game Cards Against Humanity (CAH), namely that it promotes prejudice while absolving players of any moral responsibility. Study 1a (based on Prejudiced Norm Theory) finds no evidence that sexist humor in CAH encourages men to express prejudice against women. However, Study 1b (based on Social Identity Theory) provides evidence that sexist humor in CAH cues women to anticipate such discrimination. CAH’s reputation does not appear to contribute to these results. Exploratory analyses further reveal that, consistent with criticisms, people do allocate moral responsibility for offense differently in CAH than in traditional verbal exchanges of humor; however, this moral allocation is generally unrelated to prejudiced outcomes. Implications and future directions for refining these theories and understanding the intergroup functions of humor in party games are discussed in light of the studies’ mixed support of CAH’s criticisms.

Images of a Statist Ethic in “Western” and Chinese IR Theory: Locating (and Deciphering) the “Moral Realism” of the Tsinghua Approach

Abstract In this article, we identify—and interrogate—one thematic thread that is intricately woven through prominent positions within classical realism, normative international relations (IR) theory, and what Zhang Feng (2012) has called Chinese IR’s “Tsinghua approach.” This thread is the often-controversial notion of a statist ethic for international politics or an ethical perspective that grants priority to one’s state, fellow citizens, and the national interest. Positions within each of these theoretical traditions—what we label “egoistic realism” and “responsible realism” within the classical realist tradition, “communitarian realism” and “impartialist statism” within normative IR theory, and what others have described as “moral realism” within the Tsinghua approach—share a commitment to an ethical approach variously defined in terms of the protection of, and preference for, one’s state and compatriots. We take this rich collection of positions, and the points of comparison that it affords, as an opportunity to better understand the possibilities and limits of a statist ethic for international politics. Specifically, we endeavour to illustrate four points: (1) that a morality defined in terms of the priority of the state, one’s fellow citizens, and the national interest is neither impossible nor a contradiction in terms; (2) that such a perspective can constitute a sophisticated theoretical position; (3) that it can be conceived in radically different ways, including with respect to the source of value to which it appeals and who it deems to matter; and (4) that these differences have profound practical consequences. In terms of contributing to a conversation between Western and Chinese IR theory, this analysis helps us not only to explore how the “moral realism” of the Tsinghua approach relates to positions within classical realism and normative IR theory but also to evaluate the practical implications of its points of theoretical convergence and divergence.

Malay-Muslim women’s perceptions of sunat perempuan in the Malaysian context

Female circumcision (genital cutting) in Malaysia is largely understudied at present. This study unpacks the perceptions of Malay-Muslim women with regards to sunat perempuan (female circumcision) in Malaysia. Through stakeholder engagement discussions organised by a civil society organisation, 17 Malay-Muslim women shared their views in relation to the practice with a particular focus on: (1) their awareness and personal experience of it; (2) their opinions and knowledge about the practice; (3) beliefs related to the practice; and (4) the roles of relevant stakeholders in advocacy work related to the practice. The data were analysed thematically and interpreted based on the grammar of legitimation and social norms theory. The findings reveal several themes, involving the perceived benefits of the practice; tradition and conformity to social norms; conflicting emotions related to religion; and implicit pressure and fear of negative sanctions in relation to the practice. The findings shed light on the concerns faced by Malay-Muslim women in their decision-making process in relation to the practice of female circumcision in Malaysia.

Normative power in the planetary organic crisis

The lead intervention article argues that the new reality of the planetary organic crisis awaits a normative critical social theory of planetary politics, a means of understanding the sharing of relationships within International Relations and an agenda for action in concert found in the normative power approach. The article and subsequent 20th anniversary special issue provide an opportunity to reflect and develop the ideas of the original Journal of Common Market Studies ‘normative power’ article through a prospective on the use of normative power in addressing the planetary organic crisis. The special issue sets out a prospective on theorising normative power in the rapidly shifting context of 21st-century planetary organic crisis involving interacting and deepening structural crises of economic inequality, social injustice, ecological unsustainability, ontological insecurity and political irresilience – as demonstrated by the global financial crisis, COVID-19 pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine. It begins by setting out the normative power approach to planetary organic crisis, where 21st-century politics are characterised by truly planetary relations of causality that can only be understood and addressed holistically. In the wider context of climate emergency, food and water insecurity and their socio-economic and political consequences, a planetary political approach to understanding the European Union is an essential starting point.

Theories of Uncertainty Communication: An Interdisciplinary Literature Review

This systematic literature review presents an interdisciplinary overview of theories tested in experiments on the effects of communicating uncertainty. Using a machine learning-aided pipeline, we selected and manually coded 413 experimental studies. We discuss core assumptions and predictions of the main theories of uncertainty communication. Most normative theorizing (e.g., Bayesianism, Expected Utility Theory) is rooted in Probability Theory, which is only suitable for addressing shallow and medium uncertainty. This explains the underrepresentation of experimental research into deep uncertainty communication. To foster a more comprehensive understanding of uncertainty communication effects, we identify research questions and theories deserving greater attention.

Collaborative Planning in the Context of Deindustrialization: A Qualitative Evaluation of Comparative Cases in Northeast Ohio

This article investigates whether and how the contexts of the Rust Belt decline extend collaborative planning theory. We evaluate two collaborative planning projects in Northeast Ohio: (1) the Cuyahoga Greenways (CG), a regional trails project and (2) the Mahoning River Corridor Initiative (MRCI), a postindustrial river restoration project. Based on participant interviews and document analysis, we find that the projects are distinct in their contextual conditions and collaborative processes, with CG better aligning with common expectations found in the literature. MRCI deviates from normative theory pertaining to collaborative planning; we discuss how this might relate to processes of institutional change. Our results suggest that the collaborative planning literature is insufficiently tailored to assess collaborative projects in the context of decline—particularly where there is controversy around the project and where collaborative institutions and networks are weak.

Transgender Imagining and the Danger of Normative Theory

ABSTRACT This paper looks at the harms of superimposing normative theorizing on communities who live and love outside the psychoanalytic norm, particularly transgender individuals. Writing in 2019/2023, an especially perilous period for transgender people’s rights and safety in the United States, McGleughlin critiques a published paper by Alessandra Lemma to illustrate the analytic tendency to rely on normative theory that may harm patients. Lemma’s pieces focuses on a patient called “Jane.” The 18-year-old wishes to pursue body modification to change their gender, but the analyst believes Jane is not “truly” transgender, and she creates a narrative of Jane’s repair. While Lemma’s rhetoric suggests that she does not believe that transgender life is inherently pathological, McGleughlin exposes a beneath-the-surface treatment rife with normative assumptions. Uncritically bringing these assumptions to clinical work has the potential to distort or even erase the story of the other, the author argues, harkening back to treatments in which the clinician is said to have “helped” the gay or lesbian patient show sexual restraint.

Towards the progressive network-system: a normative theory of organisation to achieve disruption in times of crisis

This article introduces the progressive network-system as a normative and descriptive theory of counter-hegemonic organisation. It is descriptive insofar as the inspiration comes from a new wave of anti-austerity leaders, movements and parties that have been less dogmatically committed to ‘horizontal’ or ‘vertical’ models of organising, and more open to flexibly combining tactics and strategies from either tradition. In summary, the ‘network’ connects supporters and activists into clusters of dissent; the ‘system’ structures them into organisational ecologies; and the ‘progressive’ ideology establishes cohesion and direction by cementing a sense of unity across the network-system. It is normative because we theorise progressive network-systems as dynamic forms of organisation dedicated to the disruption of extractive exploitation, patriarchal sexism, institutionalised racism and autocratic politics under neoliberal capitalism. We formulate six normative propositions that should inspire any progressive network-system: ideology as a cement; ‘minimal-maximalism’ as an ideological mode to enable pluralism within unity; a flexible distribution of nodes across the network; a common platform; strategic democratic planning; and empowered activism with open/distributed leadership.

Negligent Conduct from a Normative Theory Perspective

Negligent Conduct from a Normative Theory Perspective

Unethical Dimensions of Ramzan Transmissions in Pakistan

The month of Ramadan has special significance for Muslims around the world. Muslims fast in this holy month and spend most of their time in prayers and remembering Allah Almighty. In Pakistan, Ramadan is not only observed and practised by Muslims in daily life, but there is a spree of Ramadan transmissions on TV Channels also. Around a hundred news and entertainment channels are broadcasting their 24/7 transmissions, and Ramadan brings them the opportunity to get viewership and ratings. Almost every channel in Pakistan does “Ramadan Transmission” during this holy month, and these transmissions also get traction and viewership. However, where these transmissions get eyeballs and generate ratings for these channels, these transmissions are sometimes below the ethical standards. Game shows, unnecessary, irrelevant debates, cooking segments, and the use of actors and actresses as anchors for these transmissions not only hurt the sanctity of Ramadan but also create moral and ethical issues. Religious programs such as the Ramadan transmission on PTV, HUM TV, GEO TV, and ARY News are the most watchable programs for the people of Pakistan. Therefore, this paper will investigate which ethical and moral principles of Islam are violated in these transmissions during Ramadan. Normative theory is the most suitable approach to understanding this particular research scenario.

Decision algorithm for educational institute selection with spherical fuzzy heronian mean operators and Aczel-Alsina triangular norm

This article presents a novel study of spherical fuzzy sets (SFSs), a more comprehensive framework of intuitionistic fuzzy sets and picture fuzzy sets. The SFS allows the decision-makers (DMs) to cope with complicated and insufficient information during the aggregation process. The Heronian mean (HrM) model theory is also utilized to express correlation among different input arguments or characteristics. Recently, the theory of Aczel Alsina triangular norms gained a lot of attention from various research scholars and has many capabilities to provide smooth approximations during decision analysis. In this article, we developed some appropriate operations of Aczel Alsina t-norms and t-conorms in light of spherical fuzzy (SF) information. We develop new mathematical ways to look at SF data to keep clarity and sufficient information. These are the SF Aczel Alsina Heronian mean (SFAAHrM) and SF Aczel Alsina weighted Heronian mean (SFAAWHrM) operators. Furthermore, we also present a list of new strategies based on Aczel Alsina operations, such as SF Aczel Alsina geometric Heronian mean (SFAAGHrM) and SF Aczel Alsina weighted geometric Heronian mean (SFAAWGHrM) operators. Some notable properties are also characterized to show the validity and effectiveness of our derived mathematical approaches. Considering our derived strategies, an algorithm for the multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) problem is established to resolve complicated real-life applications. A numerical example presents the compatibility of derived approaches and provides a solid mechanism to improve the performance of educational institutes. A comparison technique is also demonstrated to show the applicability and consistency of diagnosed approaches by contrasting the findings of pioneered approaches with existing methodologies.

A decolonial critical theory of artificial intelligence

In this paper, I argue for a normative reconstruction, from a decolonial perspective of critical theory in Brazil and Latin America, of a democratic ethos that despite its weaknesses and normative deficits is capable of fostering an increasingly deliberative, participatory, and egalitarian democracy by making extensive use of new digital technologies (comprising both AI systems and digital governance). Its argumentative core boils down to the promotion of intersectional egalitarianism (socio-economic, gender, racial-ethnic, environmental) through digital inclusion, which seems only feasible to us from a perspective capable of accommodating the normative claims of a critical decolonial theory combined with a naturalistic view of sustainability, within a research program that I dubbed “mitigated social constructionism” in response to the phenomenological deficit of normative and naturalistic theories (including critical theory and neurophilosophy). If what matters is normativity, then to avoid the divide between naturalism and non-naturalist normativity one nonfoundationalist alternative is to resort to hermeneutical and procedural accounts of normativity as helpful clues to making sense of the naturalism-normativity problem, avoiding reductionist interpretations of both naturalism (Churchland) and normativism (Parfit).

Obituary: Patrick Wyndham Hanks

Abstract Though best known for his extensive and often transformative writings on lexicography and corpus linguistics, Patrick Hanks was also a career lexicographer with a strong track record of managing a string of groundbreaking dictionaries. His experience at the lexicographic coalface led him to question dictionary conventions, especially when the corpus data seemed to be at odds with traditional approaches to identifying and explaining meanings. His ideas about meaning potentials, his focus on ‘the probable not the possible’, and his Theory of Norms and Exploitations all arose directly from the experience of analysing corpus data in order to describe how words behave and combine. He was involved in almost every major development in our field over the last 50 years, and his influence will continue to be felt for as long as people are analysing language and making dictionaries.

Adapting Theories of Pro-environmental Behaviours to Environmental Activism: A Review of Relevant Theoretical Frameworks

The aim of this paper is to review relevant environmental and behavioural theories relating to pro-environmental behaviours and to particularly propose their adaptation to environmental activism. Environmental activism, which refers to advocating and participating in environmental actions and behaviours to foster a sustainable environment, is largely understudied in Africa. By reviewing theories that can potentially explain why individuals may engage in or advocate for environmental actions, this study seeks to revive the interest of African researchers in issues relating to pro-environmental behaviours and, in particular, environmental activism. Theories help to expand understanding of any given phenomena. They can safely be referred to as the social scientist’s guide to social investigations as they greatly help in pioneering, predicting, expanding, and critiquing knowledge. The theories reviewed in this study include the Value Belief Norm Theory, Protection Motivation Theory, Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behaviour, and the Direct and Buffering Hypothesis of Social Support. This review paper concludes that for a more nuanced understanding of environmental activism and pro-environmental behaviours at large, integration and adaptation of several theories are necessary as they will collectively provide detailed insights into possible remedies for the human and technology-induced environmental issues that plague the world, especially Africa as a continent.