Political Approach Research Articles

Defining community: A pragmatic political ecology approach

Defining community: A pragmatic political ecology approach

Tierra agrícola y agua de riego: transformaciones históricas de acceso y manejo en el norte de Mexquitic, San Luis Potosí

Objective: Analyzing the management of agricultural land and irrigation water historical transformations in the La Parada-Justino-Bocas river basin and their social impacts at north of Mexquitic, San Luis Potosí. Methodology: Ethnographic work, bibliographic review, and archive consultation with a political ecology approach for the processual analysis. Results: Four key periods that affected the access and management of resources were examined: 1) the Tlaxcalan founding of Mexquitic and the dispossession of communal resources by hacendados to maximize their corporate interests (1591-1900); 2) the haciendas La Parada and San José del Corte dismantling for agrarian distribution (1900-1929); 3) the ejidal agricultural bonanza with resources overexploitation for commercialization (1930-1976); 4) the worsening drought in parallel with neoliberal reforms with uncertain impacts (1977-2023). Value: The analysis explains the settlement and the use of resources in a place in the Potosino plateau. Limitations: The study generalizes and synthesizes more complex historical periods. Conclusions: Persistence of unequal power relations. Local and external family elites have monopolized and overexploited resources and subordinate people throughout different historical periods.

Cultivating a care-full urbanism: learning from land-based organizing in New Orleans

Urban cultivation has the capacity to reshape economic, social, and ecological systems. Through urban agriculture, tree planting, habitat restoration, or stewardship of public space, individuals create and sustain caring relationships to the land and to one another. However, fully attending to the significance of caring relationships necessitates political approaches to imagining, building, and maintaining landscape space. New Orleans has a long history of community-based initiatives that reclaim spaces for cultural gathering, build systems of mutual aid, and share community resources. This paper considers the work of four such initiatives that have been active over the last ten years. Drawing on existing literature, the organisation’s mission statements, interviews, and site visits, the paper examines urban cultivation as a tool of sustained political engagement and demonstrates the importance of engaging and acknowledging local history, culture and ecology.

The Missing Ingredients for a Polycentric Governance System of Orbital Debris

Abstract The pollution of Earth’s orbits by debris represents a pressing environmental problem. Recognizing that geopolitical factors hinder the adoption of a multilateral solution, several experts advocate for a polycentric governance system, inspired by Elinor Ostrom’s work. This article assesses the viability of such a proposal. It finds that the global network of space organizations exhibits some of the structural characteristics of a polycentric system. However, arrangements concluded among these organizations fail to promote sustainability norms, and interviews with key stakeholders reveal the absence of several favorable factors for a sustainable polycentric governance system. The article concludes that a polycentric structure alone does not guarantee the emergence of sustainable governance. As orbital space is a relatively “easy case” for applying polycentricity theory to the global commons, this research serves as a reminder about the limitations of polycentric approaches in global environmental politics.

The ‘crisis’ of fat body in the neoliberal era: the case of obesity in Turkey

Obesity research has been predominantly shaped by biomedical and political economy approaches that emphasize energy imbalance and individual responsibility. While critical perspectives challenge these narratives, they often neglect the structural and socio-economic production of obesogenic environments. This study conceptualizes obesity as a structurally embedded outcome of capitalist social relations and neoliberal restructuring, with a specific focus on the Turkish context. This study adopts a dialectical critical realist approach to analyse obesity at three levels: empirical (observable trends), actual (underlying mechanisms), and deep (structural causes). Quantitative data, obtained from authoritative institutional sources, illustrate rising obesity rates and contributing mechanisms. Qualitative data, systematically selected from academic and institutional sources, are used to examine the structural roots of obesity in capitalist social relations, focusing on how individuals function as both labour and consumers. The findings indicate that flexible labour markets contribute to obesity by increasing stress levels, while agricultural industrialisation promotes the consumption of chemical-laden, low-nutrition food. Furthermore, the commodification of health services frames obesity as an individual issue rather than a societal one, leading to ineffective treatment and prevention policies. Despite increasing scientific evidence on the biological and metabolic complexities of obesity, dominant strategies remain reductionist. Effective public health policies should move beyond profit-oriented frameworks and adopt holistic, interdisciplinary approaches that consider social, economic, and environmental factors. Further research is needed to explore transformative strategies that prioritize collective well-being over capital interests.

For Church or People: The History of Land Dispute in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province from the Perspective of Tana' Ai Community

This study employs a political ecology approach to analyze the dynamics of land ownership in Indonesia, focusing on the Tana' Ai community in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara province. We argue that agrarian change is driven by external actors, including private companies that religious institutions and government agencies own. The latter often impose their will on indigenous populations, which can result in land conflicts, marginalization, and uneven capital accumulation. In particular, the church's status as a land use permit holder from the colonial era complicates the Tana' Ai ethnic community's ability to assert its ancestral land rights. To understand this further, this study examines the interactions between the church, local communities, and the state in land management and their impact on the dynamics of power and resistance of ethnic Tana' Ai communities to social and policy change. We ask, is land managed by the community or the church? The research contributes to the growing body of literature. It fills a significant gap on land disputes in Indonesia, which also appear to be conducted by religious institutions, and the long-term impacts of such conflicts on indigenous societies. We used qualitative methods, including interviews, participant observation, and archival analysis, across 3 villages in Sikka Regency. This understanding is crucial for addressing the socio-political and cultural challenges the Tana' Ai community faces in reclaiming their land rights and ensuring their sustainable livelihoods.

Innovation, sustainability, and institutions: a political economy approach - EPOL’s 40th anniversary conference (1984–2024)

Innovation, sustainability, and institutions: a political economy approach - EPOL’s 40th anniversary conference (1984–2024)

Metadata as Radical Care

Many community-led archives have long challenged traditional archival description by prioritizing relational, political, and affective approaches to metadata. While institutional metadata standards emphasize consistency and standardization, they often fail to account for the needs of marginalized communities, reinforcing dominant narratives while excluding alternative forms of knowledge. This paper examines how engaging with archival description as a living, evolving process can instead turn metadata into a tool of radical care. Through case studies of the Sexual Minorities Archives, Transas City, and the Plateau Peoples’ Web Portal, this paper explores how participatory and empathy-driven metadata practices resist normative archival frameworks and instead foster networks of care, accessibility, and belonging. These case studies demonstrate that metadata is not merely a technical tool but a political and ethical instrument that can empower historically excluded communities. Ultimately, this paper argues that sustainable metadata practices must centre harm reduction, relational care, and community sovereignty to ensure that archives remain accessible, meaningful, and representative for present and future community users.

Capturing the disruptive nature of green energy transitions: A political economy approach

Capturing the disruptive nature of green energy transitions: A political economy approach

Green criminology: Critical, interdisciplinary and generally welcoming to newcomers

This interview introduces green criminology as a vital approach to the study of crime, victimization and its control. It brings together two established scholars, Anna Di Ronco and Nigel South, who share their views on a range of topics, from personal reasons for engaging in green criminology and its position of green criminology in mainstream and critical criminology, to the different forms of green criminology (political economy versus cultural approaches), and possible solutions to green crimes and harms. The interview concludes with their thoughts on the public role of criminologists today.

Strategi Branding dan Komunikasi Politik Anies Baswedan melalui Instagram dalam Pemilu 2024

This research is motivated by the rapid development of social media as a tool for political communication, particularly Instagram, which is used by politicians to build their image, convey political messages, and interact with voters. Anies Baswedan, as one of Indonesia's prominent political figures, actively uses Instagram to express ideas and engage with the public. In the context of digital politics, understanding political communication styles on social media is crucial to understanding how messages are delivered and their impact on voters. This study aims to analyze Anies Baswedan’s political communication style on Instagram, including the use of visual content, text, hashtags, and audience interaction. The research method employed is qualitative with a case study approach, in which data is collected through content analysis of Anies Baswedan’s Instagram posts. This approach enables an in-depth understanding of the communication strategies applied. The results show that Anies Baswedan employs a persuasive and personal political communication approach, relying on engaging visuals, strong narratives, and the use of relevant hashtags to boost audience engagement. Additionally, he utilizes Instagram features such as Stories and Live to foster closeness with voters. His communication tends to reflect an intellectual, visionary, and down-to-earth leadership image. The conclusion of this study is that Instagram serves as an effective tool for Anies Baswedan in shaping his political image and interacting with voters. The communication style applied demonstrates how social media can be leveraged to enhance political appeal and build relationships with the public. These findings are expected to provide insights for other politicians in optimizing their political communication strategies in the digital era.

Resurrecting a presumed ghost: the challenges and revival of the Southern agricultural growth corridor of Tanzania in a changing political landscape

The Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) gained significant international attention after its announcement by former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete as one of Africa’s first agricultural development corridors. Since then, SAGCOT has faced sporadic changes in a shifting political economy context. This study examines how SAGCOT has evolved across different political regimes in Tanzania, and how political regime orientation shapes the country’s agriculture transition, especially its corridor approach. In addition, the article focuses on what dynamics led SAGCOT to suffer the fate of other large-scale public projects and what arguments support its revival. Evidence reveals that the broader political economy and development approach undertaken by the state, ranging from modernisation through foreign and private investments, agricultural investments, resource nationalism, industrialisation and pragmatism, have supported SAGCOT growth and also brought about negligence and the decline of SAGCOT within Tanzania’s broader economic transformation. This points to the centrality of a political regime’s orientation as important in understanding agriculture transformation, especially in agrarian-based economies. Although designed as an international private–public partnership crafted to survive any regime change, it has been strongly affected by the shifting priorities of successive regimes. These findings provide lessons for similar national lighthouse projects.

Climate Change and Food Security: A Framework for Agenda Setting and Policy Analysis in Iran.

This study identifies the key factors contributing to Food Security (FS) in the context of Climate change (CC), aiming to foster agenda setting for FS in Iran. This is a qualitative study. We interviewed 32 relevant stakeholders from various backgrounds. We used a mixed inductive-deductive approach in data analysis, drawing up on an adopted framework comprising of health policy triangle and selected agenda setting framework. Our analysis revealed eight constructs, eight themes, and 26 subthemes. The constructs included: common voice, leadership, scientific evidence, economic, multi-sectoral collaboration, advocacy, early warning systems, and supreme decision-making center. The main themes identified were shortcomings in: consensus, high-level political commitment, cooperation, System approach, research, planning, economic resources, and public participation. The international data gathering was limited in this study. To mitigate the risk of FS in CC condition and push the emerging subject into the government agenda in Iran, we recommend reforms in the eight identified constructs and advocate a combined policy approach including three dimensions: policy integration, coherency, and coordination, through a new model of governance.

Not in my backyard? Prospects, problems and perceptions of lithium extraction in Austria

BackgroundThe European Green Deal has rekindled interest in the mining of critical raw materials within Europe’s borders. The Weinebene lithium deposit, near Wolfsberg (Austria), deemed uneconomic as late as the 2000s, has attracted interest from developers because of the widespread demand for the metal for battery technology and in the electro-mobility sector. Based on a multi-scalar analysis, the main objective of this study is to investigate local citizens’ and politicians’ perceptions of potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of the Wolfsberg project. We deploy an interdisciplinary political geology approach that assesses its geological feasibility, social acceptability and the associated power relations, in the light of European debates around so-called ‘green extractivism’.ResultsThe exploitation of the lithium deposit seems to be promising from a geological point of view: the Weinebene hard rock, vein-type spodumene deposit was assessed at 12.9 Mt grading 1% Li2O, and the planned mine could provide 10,500 tpa LiOH/year for a period of 20 years, which would be around 4.5% of global production in 2021. However, the main results of the study show that conflicts are emerging around local environmental impacts, for example, the increase of traffic. Such environmental impacts resulting in greater CO2 emissions contradict decarbonisation objectives and ecological transitions. Local youth and politicians have highlighted the possibility of local mineral production, job creation and economic development. Nevertheless, politicians have criticized the company’s communication policy.ConclusionsThe geological analysis suggests adequate lithium resources. Otherwise, the Wolfsberg project is undermined by the lack of an open public dialogue on its future. Local residents and politicians are barely involved in the planning and permitting stages. The company European Lithium is confident of starting extraction soon, but in reality this is still uncertain. More widely, our results point towards the need for a strong degrowth strategy to generally reduce mineral consumption in Europe while also stopping destructive mining projects in the Global South. Local public perceptions have to be taken more into account when it comes to the future of lithium extraction in Europe’s ‘backyard’. Mechanisms need to be developed to fully integrate local residents into decision making processes.

Between Adaptation or Retreat in the Face of Slow-onset Disasters: Lessons Learned of Indonesia’s National and Local Adaptation Strategies to Manage Displacement Risks

Abstract In the Global South, climate change and natural hazards have been shown to increase vulnerabilities amongst coastal communities and amplify displacement risks. For example, Indonesia’s northern coast of Java Island, Demak Regency, has been experiencing rising sea levels which have led to slow-onset disasters. Since the 2000s, the regency has faced increased risks of coastal flooding due to sea level rise and land subsidence, leading to a gradual, permanent inundation that causes massive community displacement. Over time, the disaster risks are projected to worsen, necessitating the urgency to escalate flood-risk reduction and adaptation policy efforts to address displacement risks associated with natural hazards and climate change impacts. Several policies have been deployed to accommodate the issue, such as in-situ adaptation policies through protective infrastructures and retreat or planned relocation. Yet, the implementation is suboptimal due to the policy’s unpopularity amongst the locals, lack of thorough spatial planning and risk assessment, as well as cost-related concerns. Furthermore, national and local government coordination and policy initiatives remain insufficient to address slow-onset disaster displacement. Through a narrative analysis method and political system theory approach, this study identified adaptation policy gaps related to slow-onset disaster displacement risks by reviewing national and local policy documents, standards, and interview results of key government stakeholders related to disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, as well as social affairs and displacement. Overall, this study aims to provide policy recommendations to improve more robust and strategic adaptation to address slow-onset disaster displacement risks.

Interrogating Technological Leapfrogging in Asian Development and Growth Models: Toward a Critical Postcolonial Political Economy Approach

This article examines the discourse of technological leapfrogging within dominant Asian development models—namely, the earlier manufacturing-led development (MLD) and the more recent services-led development (SLD)—which posit that developing nations such as India, China, and the Philippines are “catching up” with the West through digitalization, trade, and privatization of modern services. While these models highlight the shift from industrial production to Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-driven growth, they remain rooted in Western-centric modernization paradigms, assuming linear pathways to future progress, the efficiency of technocratic governance, and historical as well as institutional path-dependencies. These models, however, neglect the various “indeterminacies” of postcolonial development, overlooking how spatial asymmetries, historical contingencies, and socio-political contestations at multiple levels continually shape technological transformations across different societies. Challenging these normative assumptions, this article advances a Critical Postcolonial Political Economy (CPPE) approach, synthesizing insights from critical political economy, postcolonial and pluralist economic geographies. The CPPE approach centers on three analytical lenses: first, “social blocs” or the shifting coalitions of state, capital, civil, and political society actors that variously impact technological development and change; second, “plural temporalities” that reveal the non-linear, overlapping tempi of technology politics and development within national contexts; and third, “conjunctural thinking,” which parses technological transformations through moments of contestation, crises, and agency. Rather than prescribing yet another developmental blueprint, the CPPE approach seeks to demonstrate a decolonizing methodological praxis, disrupting grand global and regional narratives such as the “Asian miracle” and “Asian Century” that themselves universalize specific technological pathways to developmental ascendancy. Through situated histories and contested socio-technical transitions, the CPPE approach outlines a more politically generative lens for interrogating growth models across “incomparable geographies.” Ultimately, the article calls for rethinking technological leapfrogging beyond teleological assumptions, centering postcolonial indeterminacy in analyses of Asia’s (uneven) digital development.

Системный анализ процессов цифровизации экономики с позиций политэкономического подхода

With the rapid development of information technologies, digitalisation is becoming a key factor in socio-economic development. However, the process of digital transformation involves a number of challenges, including changes in the nature of interaction between economic actors, transformation of reproduction chains, and redistribution of economic interests. At the same time, the issue of a comprehensive analysis of digitalisation in terms of a political economy approach remains insufficiently studied in the scientific literature. This research concerns with the digital transformation of the economy through the prism of political economy analysis. It allows us to identify the mechanisms of changes in economic interests, transformation of social reproduction structure and changes in the system of distributive relations. The political economy approach provides an opportunity to analyse the role of the state, corporations, and society in the process of digital transformation, examine the emerging economic imbalances associated with digital inequality, capital concentration and income redistribution in the digital economy. The purpose of the study is to comprehensively examine the processes of economy digitalisation in terms of the system-integrative analysis. The research considers the political economy approach in the context of digitalisation, the interests of key participants in the digital economy, transformation of reproduction chains, distribution relations, assessment of the impact of digital technologies on labour relations, and economic policy. The research methodology is based on the system-integrative approach, methods of logical, criterion, comparative, and structural-functional analysis. The main results of the study indicate the redistribution of economic interests, changes in the structure of social reproduction and the mechanisms of state regulation in terms of the digital economy. Indeed, digital transformation requires active state participation in the formation of digital institutions, regulation of new economic relations, and ensuring digital sovereignty. The practical application of the results obtained is possible in the development of digital transformation strategies.

Securitisation and De-securitisation in the Middle East and North Africa: Relational Spatialisiation within and beyond the Gulf

ABSTRACT Securitisation and, more recently, de-securitisation, have characterised and shaped the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional space. Examples of securitisation in the 2000s and 2010s include coercive policies adopted by Saudi and Emirati kingdoms against the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Qatar, responding either to a sectarian (anti-Shia influence) or ideological (anti-political Islam) logic. In the post-2020 regional order, these regimes’ changing regional conceptions and threat perceptions have paved the way for new diplomatic agreements contributing to regional de-securitisation. Combining Regional Security Complex theory and liberal international political economy approaches, these political and spatial shifts are illustrated through process tracing and the analysis of key strategic documents produced by Saudi and Emirati kingdoms. The analysis points to how expectations of positive trade exchanges have reduced the propensity for conflict and have acted as a further incentive for fostering trade ties as a stabilisation tool. While the volatility of the region has seemingly spiked since the 2023-24 Gaza war, leading to conflict spillover and new processes of securitisation and exclusionary spatial politics, these do not offset the parallel processes of relational spatial politics and de-securitisation initiated by Sunni Gulf monarchies since the late 2010s.

THE RELIGIOUS AND LITERARY CONTRIBUTION OF BABA XHEMAL STAMBOLLI-TURKU IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY IN THE CITY OF ELBASAN

This paper aims to examine the influence and legacy of Baba Xhemal Stambolli-Turku, a well-known religious and literary figure, and an integral part of the intellectual elite of his time who operated for a relatively long period in the city of Elbasan. Through the narrative, we seek to clarify the historical context in which Xhemal Stambolli carried out his activities as one of the leaders of the Bektashi faith in Elbasan. Additionally, through the research of documentation, the analysis of published literature, and the use of surveys, this study focuses on two main aspects of his life and work: his contribution to the religious field and his impact on the development of local literature and culture. The early decades of the 20th century coincide chronologically with the most intense period leading towards the path of independence and the creation of the Albanian state. It is worth appreciating the fact that the followers and leaders of the Bektashi faith had a generally positive political approach toëards this process in the difficult journey of state-building. Baba Xhemali played an important role in spreading the Islamic faith, engaging in the education and spiritual guidance of the faithful, as well as in preserving religious traditions. Furthermore, he became an important writer and poet, contributing to the enrichment of Albanian literature, especially in difficult periods for Albanian culture and society. This study aims to highlight the importance of Baba Xhemali’s figure as a spiritual leader and thinker who left a valuable legacy in the religious and literary fields of the city of Elbasan, influencing the development of the culture and identity of this city.

Translating Japanese Haiku and Tanka from English

Literature in translation on a world stage is becoming of more and more consequence. The approach to literature as a “unifying”, “worlding” power as defined by Pheng Cheah, is gaining the momentum. On a broadest scale, literature is evolving from translation (Rebeca Walkowitz), a phenomenon whose value should not be judged by external political, economical and similar approaches (Pascale Casanova) and an object whose verbal expression and meaning may not be explained by totally focusing on its linguistic character (multilingual approach). Linguistic value of the work of literature is interpreted as a separate function in the construction of a literary work and its posterior translation (Jeremy Munday). A publication of translation of 6 Japanese poets from English into Lithuanian is a case study to see the function of the above ideas. Alfonsas Andriuškevičius, a Lithuanian poet, essayist, literary and art critic undertook this endevour with the feeling of the lack of “poeticity” in the present haiku and tanka translations from Japanese into Lithuanian. Received: 13 January 2025 / Accepted: 2 March 2025 / Published: 25 March 2025