Political Science Perspective Research Articles

On the Actualisation of Archaics

The article examines the dominant methods in Russian humanities for understanding the phenomenon of actualization of the archaic. Some researchers, when analyzing the archaization of modern societies from the perspective of political science and history, philosophy of history, politics, culture and religion, put forward concepts that focus on the search for key factors that determine the development trends of almost all countries, peoples, and civilizations. At the same time, for example, A. S. Akhiezer and B. M. Kondorsky proceed from non-coinciding basic foundations. More and more experts believe that it is necessary to consider the actualization of the archaic, taking into account the uniqueness of their historical, cultural and civilizational development. Among the authors adhering to this research, philosophical paradigm, it should be noted V. G. Fedotov, A. A. Belomytseva, V. B. Zemskova, A. V. Rubanova, A. P. Sitnikova, M. S. Uvarova and others. A study is underway of the specifics of transformation and modernization of cultural heritage values, including archaics, in politics and economics, in the social sphere, and the influence of ethno-confessional and civilizational characteristics of various regions on these processes. Reflections and conclusions formulate a vision of the most promising ways of developing the phenomena under consideration.

AI 거버넌스의 정의와 쟁점 및 발전 과제: 비판적 관점

In the data-driven economy, AI algorithms will eventually drive power interests and value allocation of scarce resources in terms of who gets what, when, and how. However, to date, the decision-making process and internal mechanisms of algorithm-based AI remain “a black box”. Therefore, a critical systematic analysis of the benefits and limitations of AI’s practical utility and applicability, as well as legal and institutional promotion and control measures to enhance transparency in algorithm design, is needed now more than ever. The current structural situation of human oppression, control, and domination by AI power in the name of techno-engineering-based social innovation and development in the age of digital capitalism requires a multidisciplinary approach to governance that utilizes political science, educational politics, and critical theory perspectives. This paper aims to comprehensively review the emerging AI governance definitions, issues, and development plans from critical perspectives.

Intelligence Theory and Democratic Governance: An Epistemological Approach from Political Science

The contemporary concept of national and state security is currently undergoing a significant change with regard to its scope and structure. In the light of the risks that threaten present-day societies and their democratic political systems, the viability of the old paradigm of intelligence is being called into question. The increase in the Intelligence Community calls on a plurality of actors from different epistemological fields inside social sciences to contribute to the strengthening of a new paradigm of intelligence suitable to promote and strengthen peacebuilding and democratic governance capabilities. Exploring the changes that underlie proposals for a new approach to intelligence, this article formulates a proactive and preventive approach from the conceptual, methodological, professional, and academic perspective of political science.

FEATURES, ATTRIBUTES AND CRITERIA OF DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL REGIMES (COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS)

In the context of the continual and sustainable development of social order and civil society, the comprehension of the features, signs, and criteria of a democratic political regime is transforming and necessitates reconsideration, rendering this work pertinent. The objective of this article is to delineate the substance of the array of features and characteristics inherent to a democratic political regime, contrasting them with those of an authoritarian and totalitarian political regime. Additionally, it aims to elucidate the criterion by which distinctions between various types of political regimes can be made. The present publication employs analytical, synthetic, scientific generalization, theoretical comparison, and formal logical methods. The article explicates the contentious nature of the concept of "political regime" and presents diverse scientific approaches to its comprehension. It posits that the criterion for categorizing political regimes into democratic, authoritarian, and totalitarian forms hinges on "the peculiarities of interaction between civil society and the State, the degree of permeation of private life of citizens, and various spheres of the social reality of State power." The author provides a comparative analysis not only of democratic political regimes but also of authoritarian and totalitarian ones. The author conducts a detailed examination of the content associated with political science categories such as "features," "signs," and "criteria" of a political regime. Furthermore, the author introduces a personalized understanding of these concepts and offers insights into the interrelations among the terms under consideration. The article delineates an approach wherein the fundamental classification of political regimes is proposed to be nuanced. According to the author, political regimes ought to be categorized into democratic and non-democratic, with the latter further subcategorized into authoritarian and totalitarian. The author delineates the conventional features of a democratic political regime from the perspective of political science and expounds upon additional features which, in the author's estimation, might signify the presence of a democratic political regime in a given state. The assertion is made that a direct correlation between the form of government and the political regime in the state does not exist, and illustrative examples supporting this perspective are provided.

Legal and Political Science Perspectives on the Analytical Elements of Power Legitimacy: Dimensions and Categories. Preliminary Analysis

The primary objective of this paper is to examine the intricacies surrounding power legitimacy, identifying its multifaceted aspects in various categories. The authors discuss key factors necessary to determine power’s legitimacy and meticulously elaborate on the pertinent dimensions encompassing it. The article focuses on the factors that threaten the maintenance of unchallenged power, specifically the spectre of illegitimacy, and those that reinforce its consolidation. By concentrating exclusively on two key pillars – dimensions and categories – the article aims to establish a theoretical framework for investigating the legitimisation of political authority. This endeavour is crucial in comprehending the intricate interplay between society and power. It also has a clear research objective, i.e. to identify the specific area, scope, and pivotal junctures in the legitimisation process where dimensions and categories exert their most profound and immediate impact. Consequently, the reader gains a thorough understanding of the complex and diverse processes involved in legitimisation, encompassing legal, political, and societal dynamics.

Book Description: Emerging Issues in Terrorism Studies

Ahmet Demirden, Emerging Issues in Terrorism Studies, Anka- ra, Nobel, 2023, ISBN: 978-625-393-194-0
 This book can be described as an exploratory attempt to systematically examine some of the current issues in terrorism studies. The authors strived to demonstrate that such complex research areas as terrorism studies calls for an interdisciplinary approach, for instance, including the perspectives of political science, social psychology, and international relationships. The topics in this book were selected in line with the research interests of the contributing authors.

Implementing Decisions on Environmental Conflicts Beyond the Nation State

This article theorises the national implementation of European and international decisions on environmental conflicts, integrating both judgments from courts and so-called managerial decisions from (non-)compliance mechanisms in multilateral environmental agreements. Starting from the observation that the impact of climate change is increasing with backlash from populist governments and political regimes against its mitigation, implementing legal obligations in the absence of specialised environmental courts is crucial to protect the environment from harm. However, systematic insights on the national implementation of judgments and managerial decisions made beyond the nation state are underexplored. Following a political science perspective, this article conceptualises the conditions explaining this phenomenon by making use of existing research from various disciplines including political science and law on policy implementation to enable systematic comparisons. For this purpose, the article outlines a concept structural approach based on two hypothesised explanations: one based on the mechanisms used to solve conflicts, and another relating to the legitimacy of relevant institutions and processes of conflict resolution. These explanatory pathways reflect the existing management and enforcement approaches from the political science literature on implementation and follow a conjunctural logic. The theoretical approach developed in this article enables systematic comparisons across decisions and thus accounts for a variety of separate but equally valid explanations. Future research and empirical analysis will directly feed back into the concept structure for further theoretical development and lead to generalisable insights on the national implementation of court judgments and managerial decisions on environmental conflicts. In this way, the aim is to contribute to both political science and legal literature regarding European and international environmental law, environmental politics, and judicial governance.

Evolution of the Thoughts of Public Administration and Its Understanding Following the Perspectives of Political Science, Management and Law

The article aims to understand, analyze, and explain the evolution of the understanding of public administration from the perspectives of political science, management and law. The paper begins to study public administration from its classical type, where three perspectives of it are studied synthetically, as well as its potential as an independent administrative science. The article answers why and how the field is considered, even at the level of defining the concept of public administration and how it differs from management, law and political science. Additionally, the work demonstrates the visions expressed by such authors as Max Weber, Woodrow Wilson, Frank Goodnow, Leonard White, Herbert A. Simon, Luther Gulick and Dwight Waldo.

Conclusion: bringing together the eco-social debate and established political science perspectives: synergies and new research pathways

Conclusion: bringing together the eco-social debate and established political science perspectives: synergies and new research pathways

Optimal design of a sector-coupled renewable methanol production amid political goals and expected conflicts: Costs vs. land use

Methanol is an important bulk chemical which can be produced from renewable resources with the currently available technologies and doing so has a high potential for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions for the chemical sector. Reaching the targets for climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection will require designing not only renewable, but also land-efficient chemical production systems. However, under the current economic imperative of cost minimization, the efficient use of land is often not considered during production system design and compromise solutions are left undiscovered, the potential of land-use intensifying technologies stays unknown and the impact of their exclusion, e.g. due to political reasons, is not quantified. This study addresses these issues for renewable production of methanol through the biogas- and power-to-methanol production pathways, which are considered concurrently with processes allowing intensified land use (agrivoltaics, wheat straw anaerobic digestion, heat pumps, wind turbines, etc.) in a previously unexplored technological scope. The designs, as well as the effect of coupling with other production systems (residential heat, electricity, and food) as a strategy to reduce the total annualized costs (TAC) and direct land use, are investigated using the FluxMax approach, an optimization-based design methodology. It simultaneously accounts for the, often neglected, dynamics of renewable energy harvesting, waste-heat utilization and biomass production under the fluctuating renewable resource and product-demand conditions of an example location in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Reductions of the TAC of 19 %, direct land use of 9 % and GHG emissions of 12 % for the production system by coupling all four of these products were determined. Furthermore, Pareto fronts were constructed to quantify the trade-off between the conflicting objectives of minimizing TAC and direct land use, demonstrating that land use can be reduced by up to 10 % with minimal extra costs among the available technologies. Political conflicts and goals, which may influence the deployment of the considered technologies, are discussed from a political science perspective and highlight the need for further interdisciplinary collaboration.

Revitalisasi Budaya Di Era Digital Dan Eksplorasi Dampak Media Sosial Terhadap Dinamika Sosial-Budaya Di Tengah Masyarakat

In terms of research methodology, this study uses a qualitative approach to explore the phenomenon of cultural revitalization in the digital era and explore the impact of social media on socio-cultural dynamics. An in-depth analysis of various literatures and social media content was conducted to understand the context and complexity of the phenomenon. The results of the exploration show that social media not only plays a role in changing the way people interact, but also provides a platform for political participation, activism, and creative economic development. Its implications for socio-cultural dynamics are complex, requiring multidisciplinary thinking from the perspectives of sociology, anthropology, psychology, economics, and socio-cultural political science. In addition, digital revitalization must reflect the inclusiveness of technological access to ensure the sustainability of this digital revolution does not leave some communities behind. In conclusion, the exploration of the impact of social media in society is a deep and complex study, requiring a holistic understanding to direct digital cultural revitalization towards positive and sustainable development. Cultural revitalization in the digital era and the exploration of the impact of social media on socio-cultural dynamics in society are the main focus of this study. The phenomenon of digital cultural revitalization reflects a significant shift in the way society uses, creates and understands an increasingly relevant culture. Social media, as a major element in digital culture, plays a central role in changing the socio-cultural dynamics of society. Exploring the impact of social media is essential to understanding how these changes permeate people's daily lives, shape socio-cultural frameworks, and influence global interactions.

Prospects for Investigations of Political Discourse (Review of a Monograph by Prof A.A. Romanov and O.V. Novosiolova “Constructions of Threat in Pre-electoral Discourse. Linguocognitive Analysis of papers and programs of presidential campaign in 2018”. Moscow: URSS, 2021. — 440 p.)

This article presents a review of the monograph titled “Constructions of Threat in Pre-electoral Discourse. Linguocognitive Analysis of papers and programs of the 2018 presidential campaign” by A.A. Romanov and O.V. Novosyolova. The authors examined different factors related to pre-election communication, such as cognitive-discursive, psycholinguistic, and pragmalinguistic factors. They analyzed representative material and used topical linguistic analysis methods, including Diatone, an automated program for analyzing textual data in pre-election communication. They also examined the emotional-suggestive impact of pre-election programmes. Prof. A.A. Romanov and O.V. Novosyolova’s monograph is topical since it is grounded upon present-day trends of conducting linguistic analysis on the basis of one of the genres of political discourse in a comprehensive manner. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that it is the first time such a massive investigation has been completed. The results of the book under study significantly contribute to further development of various linguistic theories, such as pragmalinguistics, speech act theory, functional semantics, communication theory as well as political discourse, cognitive semantics, and communicative-pragmatic constructivism. The practical value of this research is evident in the sphere of political linguistics as well as in teaching courses such as “Topical Issues of Present-day Linguistics”, “Methods of Linguistic Analysis”, “Modern Political Discourse”. It also contributes to integration of new courses into programmes that explore interaction between language and thinking, language and speech, and language and society from a political science perspective.

Marriage and Family in Putin’s Russia: State Ideology and the Discourse of the Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) presents itself as a defender of traditional Christian values. Among these values, representatives of the ROC mention concern for marriage and family. To what extent is the position of the ROC an expression of commitment to the traditional Christian concept of marriage and family? In this article, we analyse the contemporary Orthodox discourse in Russia since Kirill Gundyayev became the Patriarch of Moscow in 2009. From a political science and security studies perspective, we highlight the main ideological elements of this discourse. We contrast these elements with similar content in Russian official documents and Vladimir Putin’s statements. An analysis of what the ROC says about the problems and protection of marriage and family in Russia, against the background of Putin’s statements and the actions of the state authorities, shows that the ROC’s discourse on marriage and family echoes the main themes of the political discourse controlled by the state authorities. In its understanding of marriage and in its efforts on behalf of the family, the ROC represents a conservative doctrinal position. Although, in doctrinal terms, it essentially expresses the traditional Christian teaching on marriage, the strong ideologisation and securitisation of demographic issues in Russia are also reflected in church discourse.

How ‘within-regime’ tensions can create windows of opportunity for new mobility services

Often described as a difficult sector to transition, mobility has been the focus of much research within sustainability transitions. In transition studies, a window of opportunity (WoO) for new technologies often results from exogenous developments. This study draws on the political science perspective of multilevel governance to conceptualise mechanisms that create WoOs. Examining the introduction of two emerging mobility technologies (e-scooters and mobility-as-a-service), we argue that within-regime tensions arising from existing multi-tiered institutions and policies may contain latent WoOs. Our findings suggest that how a new technology is positioned vis-à-vis established institutions affects its ability to reach market. Actors that position new technology against a different tier of government than those who are embedded with existing technologies face less opposition during introduction. Moreover, because digital technologies are less scale dependant, such technologies may allow actors more freedom concerning how they position their service in relation to the established institutions.

Unraveling the European Agricultural Policy Sustainable Development Trajectory

Amidst growing concerns about the impact of agriculture on the environment, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been overhauled to prioritize sustainable rural development in European agriculture. Based on this line of thought, the present contribution delves into the details of the CAP’s shift, focusing on the main environmental concerns faced in the policy-making framework. Grounded in a political science perspective, the current study looks at how environmental and climate change concerns were gradually elevated inside the CAP’s policy-making framework and how they helped create the “green architecture” for European agriculture. Examining the process of policy change under the lens of historical institutionalism and neo-institutionalism within the multilevel governance framework of the European Union (EU), the key role played by the gradual introduction of measures aimed at promoting measurable environmental criteria and climatic targets is highlighted. For instance, measures aimed at preserving carbon-rich soils and enhancing water resources can have positive impacts on the environment. However, these measures were also recognized to increase the cost of production for the European farmers, who faced serious difficulties in adjusting to the new framework. Within this context, this research delves into the roles played by two additional fundamental entities: the consumer and environmental activism. Additionally, the study underscores the EU’s commitment to addressing climate change and sustainable development challenges and how conditionality is being used to link funding to results. Upon analyzing the CAP’s shift, the reflection of a more flexible and rational approach is argued to be embodied by the new policy architecture. By incorporating both CAP pillars, encouraging collaboration with compatible policies, and allowing for greater adaptability in response to the unique circumstances and objectives of each member state, the CAP is taking significant steps towards sustainability and climate action. These insights into the significance and implications of the CAP’s shift towards sustainability offer valuable recommendations for future policy developments, emphasizing the need to balance environmental concerns with the needs of farmers and other stakeholders.

Strictest nature conservation: China's national park policy underpinned by power shift and turf dynamic

China initiated the national park policy in 2015 to achieve the strictest nature conservation. This study pointed out that the core of this policy is to increase central authority. Hence, adopting the bureaucratic politics and Actor-centered Power theory, the study aimed to analyze the power shift and turf dynamics among ministries in the national park policy process. Based on the evidence, the study found that before 2015, ministries' overlapping turfs in managing protected areas weakened the central coercion of local nature conservation, resulting in excessive exploitation of these areas. To enhance conservation effectiveness, top leaders initiated the national park policy. Top leaders reclaimed ministerial turfs through coercive power, whereas, utilized the ownership of the national park policy to incentivize them to participate in pilots. Ultimately, the 2018 ministry reform led to the State Forestry and Grassland Administration acquiring turf over protected areas including national parks. At the same time, top leaders maintained the potential coercion through information provided by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment that retained supervision authority over national parks. This ministerial restructuring established robust national park administrations, breaking local power patterns and strengthening the central control on nature conservation, which ensures the strictest nature conservation. This study contributed to understanding Chinese national park policy based on the perspective of political science. Furthermore, it provided an analytical framework of power and turf for research on bureaucratic politics.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: European Disintegration, Brexit, and Gibraltar

This article aims to explore the contours of Gibraltar, a uniquely situated region in Europe and a non-self-governing British overseas territory. It explores the basis for Gibraltar’s continued and maintained presence within the EU after Brexit. Gibraltar’s full accession into the Schengen area, which was expected to be implemented by the end of 2022, is a significant departure from the disintegration that was observable elsewhere in Brexit negotiations but also does not align with the United Kingdom’s staunch resistance to Schengen more generally. This move will potentially result in Gibraltar having more features in common with what the EU refers to as outermost regions, which are remote areas within the EU where special provisions exist. To that end, this variation in approach by the United Kingdom has placed Gibraltar in an altogether different category of its own and invites new questions about the region’s specificity and status, as well as about the process of disintegration more generally. We argue that Gibraltar’s desire to join the Schengen area has presented challenges to the ongoing predicament of Brexit and has exacerbated its outlier position within the EU. This has given rise to specific questions that this article aims to address: What is the current situation of Gibraltar regarding the United Kingdom and the EU? And, what can the case of Gibraltar teach us in terms of disintegration? This article also examines, from a political science perspective, how reclassifying territories can be employed as a vector to facilitate the United Kingdom’s efforts to disintegrate from the EU, but underscores the ongoing issues surrounding the reclassification of Gibraltar and its people, with every effort to do so proving challenging.

Right to Development Governance: A Policy Proposition for the Kingdom of Lesotho

Abstract In this article, we advance a right to development governance policy proposition for the Kingdom of Lesotho. Contrary to the grim realities that portray Lesotho as landlocked and least developed, the country presents enormous potential, which with the correct policy choices, can radically transform the development landscape across the country. To harness Lesotho’s multiple development futures with strategic foresight entails blending futures analysis with scenario development modelling, absent which is bound to produce ambiguities in policy formulation. From a blend of perspectives in law, economics and political science, we inquire whether an alternative model could produce transformative development deliverables in Lesotho. Drawing from the modelling of three development scenarios, we argue in favour of the right to development governance model, which we find more pragmatic, with the potential to respond to Lesotho’s situational realities.

Comparative Analysis of Current Developments in Social Security Studies

Though a country’s social security system is closely related to its economy and society, it is directly designed and operated by its politics (Hicks 1999; Stephens et al. 1999). Unlike social security studies from other academic perspectives, political science always tries to identify the essential political mechanism creating a country’s social security system. By focusing on political factors’ impact on social security development, the structure and the qualitative development of a social security system, in addition to the political results of the running of social security system, existing studies usually start from a macro and supply perspective, preferring to use official statistical data on macro supply to support their arguments. Compared with political science studies, economic studies on social security usually identify the correlation between the economy and social security by testing their mutual effects and paying attention to the economic efficiency of the running of social security system, preferring quantitative methods and statistical data to evaluate national social security development and test the hypothesis on the correlation. Sociologists focus on ‘how a society modifies its social security, and what social security does to the society’. They also test mutual interactions between their independent and dependent variables, as do scholars from the other two schools, but prefer using data obtained through surveys and usually start from a micro and demand perspective. This review will examine the general nature and value of the development of existing studies from a political perspective. The fact that studies with the same arguments may adopt different methods, or studies may use similar methods to support very different arguments, seriously undermines the reliability of arguments put forward by existing reviews, especially in the case of individual countries. To eliminate that problem, a proper review, comparison and evaluation of the major aspects of existing studies is necessary to identify the main arguments of previous studies on social security system, as well as their limitations, from a political science perspective.

DIRECTIONS FOR INNOVATIVE ANALYTICAL AND STATISTICAL TECHNOLOGIES IMPLEMENTATION AS A TOOL FOR CORRUPTION COUNTERACTION IN THE STATE

The article is dedicated to the problem of implementing innovative analytical and statistical technologies as a tool to counteract corruption in the state. Innovative analytical and statistical technologies are broadly defined as a set of methods and tools based on the use of mathematical and statistical methods of data analysis to detect useful dependencies and regularities in data, improve decision-making efficiency, and detect anomalies in various fields of activity. More narrowly, they are defined as the process of using the most advanced data analysis methods to detect complex dependencies and useful regularities in data. Based on the content analysis of thematic publications, 4 directions were identified: 1) the direction of developing methodological tools; 2) the direction of analyzing secondary sociological data; 3) the direction of creating automated systems for natural language analysis and visualization of spatial data; 4) the direction of implementing machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies for identifying subjects of corruption relations and/or obtaining statistically substantiated confirmations of the presence/absence of corruption. It is determined that the most significant direction is practice-oriented studies, where testing of the relevant theoretical models and methodological tools takes place, and precedents are created for the use of the results of analytical and statistical studies as part of the evidence base of fraud or corruption. It is determined that a direct example of applying innovative analytical and statistical technologies as a tool for corruption counteraction from a political science perspective is electoral forensics. Within electoral forensics, two groups of methods are distinguished. The first group originates from the theory of numbers and refers to the frequency characteristics of numerical data of electoral statistics. The second group of methods relies on the search for anomalies in the relationships between different parameters of the electoral process, for example, turnout level and winning candidate support level. The main criterion used to detect electoral corruption is the discrepancy between the real (documented) election results and the normative (model) ones.