Political Decision-making Process Research Articles

Public Education Investment, Economic Growth and Welfare: A Political Economy Analysis with Preference Heterogeneity

This study examines the politics of public education policy and its impact on economic growth and welfare under intergenerational altruism. The study considers an endogenous growth model with altruistic overlapping generations. Due to its significant role in promoting long-term economic expansion, we consider investment in public education to be an effective tool of productive government intervention. Nonetheless, public educational investment has been the subject of political disputes owing to its inherent intergenerational redistributive implications. Backed by the tendency of democratically elected governments to maintain their political power, the preferences of some particular individuals or group of individuals become more dominant in the political process of determining the level of public investment in education. In particular, governments are more concerned with the preferences of the median voter, or the current generation at large, because they, as electors, have the ability to determine the next government. This reality leads governments to exhibit a bias toward the desires of these people. As a result, such political considerations divert the economy from its optimal path of economic growth and reduce the welfare of future generations. This effect becomes more pronounced when individuals with lower levels of altruism toward their offspring assume a more influential position in the political decision-making process over the allocation of public funds for education. Our theoretical analyses demonstrate the implications for economic growth and welfare resulting from policy decisions made by democratically elected governments with inherent biases, as opposed to decisions made by an unbiased social planner.

SUPPORTING INSTRUMENTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION FOR RESOLVING CONFLICTS WITHIN THE UNION

The European Union, a community consisting of 27 member states with completely different histories, cultures, economies and levels of development, needs certain clear rules of the game that will ensure peaceful coexistence and continuity of coexistence of states gathered under one integration roof. This article focuses on the principle of subsidiarity in the EU and its role in conflict management. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive overview of how subsidiarity operates as a mechanism to reduce tensions and promote cooperation between EU member states. The analysis focuses on the historical application of this principle in different political contexts to identify patterns and general trends. The methodological approach of the article is based on a comprehensive analysis of political decision-making processes at the EU level, taking into account the principle of subsidiarity. By combining qualitative and quantitative research methods, the impact of this principle on conflict identification, prevention and resolution is systematically explored. It was confirmed that targeted and effective implementation of the principle of subsidiarity in the EU can make a significant contribution to conflict prevention and resolution. Principle of subsidiarity acts as the main tool for conflict management in the EU, plays a central role.

Intersectional Victims as Agents of Change in International Human Rights-Based Climate Litigation

Abstract Climate change uniquely affects those who are at the intersection of several inequalities simultaneously, such as those based on gender, age, and disability. This makes them ‘directly affected’ by climate change, which is crucial in establishing ‘victim status’ under Article 34 of the European Convention on Human Rights. At the same time, as a result of unequal power relations, intersectional victims face exclusion from, or minimal participation in, political decision-making processes concerning climate change. This further justifies their claim to victim status as a matter of procedural climate justice. As agents of change, intersectional victims, namely elderly women and girls with disabilities, can be empowered to contribute to climate decision making, thereby reshaping unjust power relations. The article examines two climate cases currently before the European Court of Human Rights: Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland, brought by elderly women, and Duarte Agostinho et al. v. Portugal and 32 other States, brought by children and young people.

Эволюция эмпирических подходов в оценке эффективности международных санкций

Economic sanctions lead to a redistribution of public welfare, as well as change the political decision-making process, since certain groups in each country lobby their interests, benefiting from sanctions pressure. Empirical models of sanctions analysis are based on the theory of public choice, which allows for a comprehensive assessment of their effectiveness. The results of the analysis showed that a feature of the studies of sanctions wars is the use of fundamental economics and political science, as well as game-theoretic models as a basis for analyzing the complex effect of sanctions. To maximize the effect, the initiator countries should set clear targets, because otherwise the time horizons of the sanctions wars are maximally prolonged and it will be impossible to predict when the targets will be reached.

Cultural policy and the politics of display. The establishment of the opera house in Oslo

ABSTRACT How can we understand governments’ willingness to make large investments in iconic cultural buildings? What does this trend tell us about governments’ cultural policy interests and priorities? In this article we illuminate these questions based on a study of the framing of the political decision-making processes associated with the establishment of the Opera House in Oslo, Norway. Theoretically, we draw on Hans Abbing’s reflections on the ‘politics of display’. As developed in this article, the concept of politics of display draw attention to the representative role accorded to art and culture in cultural policy and the role of cultural policy in the legitimation of government power. The political debate on the Opera House, we show, was framed from the outset as a matter of politics of display, as politicians highlighted the goal of creating identification with national institutions among Norwegians and a desire to increase Norway’s international prestige. One conclusion we draw from the study is that the trend for investments in iconic cultural buildings should make researchers attentive to the politics of display as an important driving force in cultural policy. Another conclusion is a call for researchers to be attentive to the national dimension of cultural policy.

Women in politics: examining their impact on policy development — A comprehensive review

The representation of women in political offices has expanded in every country over the last few decades. Commencing with a historical overview, this review underscores the persistent obstacles and cultural constraints that have hindered women's political engagement. The primary focus is on identifying and dissecting impediments such as ingrained gender prejudices, unequal access to education, and sociocultural constraints. This comprehensive examination explores the crucial role of women in politics and their profound impact on policy formulation. Global attention has increased on gender equity and women's political representation, emphasizing the importance of understanding how women's participation in political decision-making processes influences policy outcomes. The involvement of women in politics, particularly in poorer countries where health and education are priority sectors, has led to improvements in the delivery of public services. The review delves into the political empowerment of women, highlighting the positive social change and role modeling that women in politics can provide in their local areas. Recent studies suggest that the makeup of public expenditure may not necessarily reflect the impact of female representation on legislative debates and specific policy decisions. Female participation has enhanced institutional quality by reducing corruption and yielding benefits for those in positions of responsibility. The review advocates for greater gender diversity in political decision-making by examining obstacles, proposing solutions, and emphasizing the ongoing need for research and advocacy to support and promote the invaluable contributions of women to global policy development.

Institutional Proxy Representatives of Future Generations: A Comparative Analysis of Types and Design Features

Future generations will be strongly affected by political decisions made today (e.g., by the long-term consequences of climate change). According to the democratic all-affected principle, the interests of everyone affected by political decisions should be considered in the political decision-making process. Future generations cannot influence democratic decision-making, since they do not yet exist. Election-based democratic incentive systems are said to make it difficult to consider the needs of future generations today. Surprisingly, however, since the early 1990s, an increasing number of democracies have established what could be called institutional proxy representatives of future generations (proxies), i.e., public bodies with institutionalized access to government and/or parliament that introduce the construed interests of future generations into the political decision-making process. Proxies help to consider future generations’ interests alongside the interests of current constituencies. After concept building, this comparative study searches all liberal democracies and identifies 25 proxies, with heterogeneous institutional designs. By employing membership criteria, three types are distinguished: (a) expertise-driven independent guardians (type I), (b) political or administrative advisory and coordination bodies (type II), and (c) sustainability stakeholder councils or committees (type III). They vary considerably in their formal capacity to influence political decision-making (i.e., on what legal basis they were provided with what instruments to address which phases of the policy process and which branches of government). Overall, they should not be overburdened with expectations. While they are usually equipped with the tools to voice the (construed) interests of future generations, they often lack the capacity to act as watchdogs with teeth when ignored.

An alliance of evidence-based decision-makers against populism

In a double cover interview at the start of 2024 with ‚Monitor Health Services Research‘, Prof Josef Hecken, the impartial chairman of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), and Prof Wolfgang Hoffmann, Chairman of the German Network for Health Services Research (DNVF), discuss the future role, significance and position of health services research, which has now come of age. The more frequently its results are incorporated into far-reaching political decision-making processes - such as the current federal hospital reform - the more headwinds are blowing against it. Health services research must learn to deal with this.

Participatory integrated coastal management in island regions: a methodological proposal based on tourism

This study is aimed to understand political decision-making processes in two islands: Ilha Grande in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Ile d’ Óléron in France. Our intention is to propose a participative coastal management model for insular regions. To elaborate management models, we believe it is necessary to make deep diagnosis relating scientific and local knowledge. Theoretically, concepts of interdisciplinarity and complexity need to be considered together with an embracing view, including socioenvironmental issues and social participation, present in public policies.

A critical examination of the entanglement: How political dynamics shape legal Decision-making and reform processes in Pakistan

In this scholarly exploration, we delve into the intricate interplay between political dynamics and legal decision-making within the context of Pakistan. Our analysis draws inspiration from Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic theory of democracy, which posits that inherent conflicts (antagonisms) are an essential dimension of the political landscape. These conflicts, while requiring tempering for the functioning of a pluralist democracy, remain unalienable and ever-present. Within the juridical domain, judges occupy a unique position. Cloaked in legal form, their pronouncements extend beyond mere legal interpretations. Instead, they adjudicate individual instances of ongoing collective conflicts—pitting workers against employers, consumers against traders, tenants against landlords, and moral progressives against traditionalists. These decisions, seemingly juridical, are inherently political. Judges wield a “relative sovereignty,” navigating institutional imperatives while being influenced by ideological currents. However, legal determinacy remains relative. Judges, through rigorous interpretive work, can diverge from prima facie interpretations. The collective conflicts, once juridified, crystallize into temporary hegemonic fixations. Our critical legal scholarship endeavors to destabilize these hegemonies in pursuit of justice. This task necessitates not only external critique but also internal scrutiny. We propose evaluating judicial decisions by considering all plausible alternatives, weighing conflicting interests and ideologies. In summary, our examination underscores the dual nature of judicial decisions—simultaneously juridical and political. By embracing this complexity, we contribute to a nuanced understanding of legal reform processes in Pakistan, advocating for justice beyond mere legal formalism.

Deficits in Strategic Communication for Armaments

The aim of this paper is to contribute to scientific research in the field of examining the shortcomings in the use of strategic communication for armaments. A comprehensive approach that rationalises the political, military, economic and technical decision-making process, as well as appropriate strategic communication with stakeholders, is required for the procurement of military equipment for the armed forces. The paper first analyses the existing shortcomings in the use of strategic communication in support of armaments, and then recommends a model for the adequate use of it. The results of a questionnaire survey and structured interviews with specialists in strategic communication and armaments show a high level of support for the use of strategic communication. However, the selected case studies on the Pandur and BVP modernization projects did not confirm the assumption of an improvement in the ability of the Czech Ministry of Defence to acquire new military equipment.

Development Transformation: Strategy for Economic and Social Progress in Indonesia

Development transformation is often formulated through economic policies in many ways prove success. This can be illustrated, among others, in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and other developed countries. Economic policies in these countries are generally formulated conceptually, involving consideration of social and environmental aspects and supported by responsible political mechanisms so that every economic policy can be explained in a transparent, fair manner and accordance with planning principles. In the social aspect, not only are people's aspirations taken into consideration, but also the existence of social institutions (social capital) is also maintained and even their function is improved. Meanwhile, in terms of the environmental aspect, the aspect of the function of preserving natural capital is also given great attention for the benefit of humanity. Of all that, the most important thing is that decision-making is also carried out very cleanly from various lobbying behaviors that have nuances of deficiencies (moral hazard) that are fulfilled by certain interests (vested interests) from mere profits (rent-seeking). In this way, the results of development can be enjoyed by the entire community fairly across (transcending) boundaries of space (inter-region) and time (inter-generation), national development can also be interpreted as deliberate economic, social, and cultural transformation through policies and strategies toward the desired direction. Transformation in economic structure, for example, can be seen through an increase or rapid growth in production in the industrial and service sectors, so that their contribution to national income becomes greater. On the other hand, the contribution of the agricultural sector will become smaller and inversely proportional to the growth of industrialization and economic modernization. Social transformation can be seen through equal access to socio-economic resources, such as education, health, housing, clean water, recreational facilities, and participation in the political decision-making process.

The taxing implementation of densification: The missed opportunity of the German land value tax

Densification and more efficient use of land are important planning challenges across Europe intended to aid the pursuit of sustainability goals. Property taxation influences land use. It can discourage or incentivize efficient land use. In the international academic debate, the land value tax is considered an effective land policy instrument that can promote more efficient use of land. Germany is currently transforming its property taxation system and has discussed different property tax models in the political decision-making process. This paper explores the political motivations of this reform based on a discourse analysis of plenary sessions and complementary in-depth expert interviews. On the one hand, the empirical findings highlight the experts’ positive assessment of the potential of the land value tax for efficient land use and densification. On the other hand, they also show how the potential allocative effects of the land value tax were largely overlooked during the political debates. Instead, discussion centred around distributional aspects of the property tax. It can be shown that despite the great potential for tackling urgent planning issues, policymakers are hesitant to adopt and apply instruments of land policy that intervene in existing private property rights.

Youth Engagement in Decision-Making: European Approaches to Inclusive Participation and Albanian Perspective

Integration in the European Union remains one of the key objectives of the Western Balkans countries. The institutions of the European Union are giving greater importance to the opportunities for greater involvement of young people in democratic life, influencing the strengthening of the sense of citizenship for the countries that are part of the European Union and, on the other hand, to develop a European perspective for countries that aspire to become part of the union. In this paper we explore the perceptions of young people in Albania, aged 18-31, regarding their engagement in democratic life and more specifically their involvement in political decision-making processes. To explore this issues we use a mixed research methods, combining both qualitative and quantitative approaches. For this purpose, is conducted an evaluation of documents and political iniciatives, in the level of European Union and also Albanian state. It was also conducted a survey in a national context, with the participation of 186 youth people, mainly young activists, to explore their perception regarding these issues. According to the main findings, the level of engagement of young people in these processes is low, regardless of their desire and willingness to engage.

Институциональные основания политических картин мира в условиях цифровизации государственного управления

The introduction of new information technologies in all spheres and branches of the public administration sys-tem has become a sustainable trend of modern reality. Digital tools provide quick answers and solutions to the challenges of optimizing administrative processes, but do not contain the explanatory potential of ongoing polit-ical events. The political picture of the world, as a higher-level conceptual system than unstable state planning regulations such as concepts and strategies, has obvious advantages in the political decision-making process. The aim of this article is to examine the institutional sources that construct political pictures of the world in the context of widespread adoption of digital technologies. The author achieved the goal by solving the following research tasks: identifying traditional sources of political pictures of the world of the state; analyzing the current state of these picture-forming institutions, their evolution and role in the construction of political pictures of the world. As conclusions, the author proves that the processes of digitalization have not practically affected the composition of the sources of origin of political pictures of the world. Nevertheless, the channels for articulating public and institutional interests and the mechanisms for translating and disseminating the state’s political pic-tures of the world have expanded significantly.

Who is Interested in Participating in Participatory Budgeting?

AbstractInequalities in terms of who participates in politics yield policy outcomes that fail to reflect the interests of the broader public. Because these processes fail to engage the full citizenry in political decision-making processes, they are also markers of an anemic civic culture. Advocates of participatory budgeting (PB) – a process implemented at the subnational level in thousands of cities in the United States and beyond that invites residents to participate directly in the process of allocating public resources for local projects – argue that it can alleviate these inequalities. They argue that features of the PB process make it ripe for engaging new participants in the political process and weaving a more inclusive social fabric. We examine the correlates of interest in participating in PB using a survey of Cook County residents. We also consider the extent to which the policy priorities of those who are interested in participating diverge from those who are less interested. Although we find evidence that the process is particularly appealing to younger respondents and those who identify as Latine or Black (as opposed to White), we also find that interest is higher among those with higher socioeconomic status and those who perceive conditions in their neighborhood to already be good. Our evidence also suggests that inequalities in who is interested in participating may not radically affect policy outcomes. However, those who decline to participate cannot reap the broader social and political benefits advocates hope the PB process can foster.

Reimagining international relations in times of ecological crisis: A dialogue on multispecies justice

This article departs from a political ecology perspective to build a critique against the predominant anthropocentrism in international relations. It argues that the acknowledgement of the agency of non-human beings, and their inclusion and representation in political decision-making processes, is not only essential to create socioecological sustainability in the multispecies communities that we are all part of, but that it is also, fundamentally, a matter of justice. The article introduces the concept of multispecies justice as a possible ally in a dialogue for the reimagining of international relations, both as a discipline and as institutional practice, so that the latter can more adequately, effectively, and fairly respond to the current context of planetary crisis. As an illustrative example of what multispecies justice is (or can become) in practice, the article resorts to the case of rivers and to some of the non-anthropocentric initiatives that have been arising for their protection, conservation, or restoration.

Doing Politics with Animals

Abstract: An increasing number of theorists are challenging the idea that only humans can engage in politics and propose that humans must learn how to do politics with animals. But what does it mean to do politics with animals? We consider several recent developments at the frontiers of social inquiry that are relevant, including (1) proposals for the institutional representation of animals’ interests in human political decision-making processes; (2) growing ethological evidence for animals’ own capacities for language, culture, and collective decision-making; and (3) new theoretical accounts of political agency and community that emphasize its embodied, emplaced, and interdependent nature. Each illuminates potential futures for animal politics and for just human-animal relations.

The Law of Urgency in Choosing Leaders in The Qur'an According to Al-Mawardi

This article explains the mechanism for selecting government and state leaders according to Abu Hassan al-Mawardi's benefit theory. According to al-Mawardi, Islamic teachings require legal norms that are closely related to political and constitutional issues. Based on the interpretation of QS Ali Imran verse 59, al-Mawardi reconstructs the meaning of Ulil Amri as the political representation of the people in the state power system. According to him, Ulil Amri is a group of selected people from various circles, namely soldiers, ulama, scientists, and so on who have an important key in the political decision-making process. The interesting thing about al-Mawardi's thinking is that he emphasizes the political consensus side (ijma fi fiqh al-siyasi) in the process of making political decisions, one of which is used in choosing government and state leaders.

Self-promotion, ideology and power in the social media posts of Nigerian Female Political Leaders

Abstract This article examines how Nigerian female political leaders (NFPLs) exploit self-presentation strategies to formulate and promote social justice. Using insights from critical discourse analysis and Jones and Pittman’s (1982) self-presentation strategies, and with a data set from the verified Facebook and Twitter accounts of two female ministers and three female senators, the study investigates how NFPLs systematically utilize discursive strategies such as self-promotion, ingratiation, exemplification, intimidation and supplication to present themselves as a powerful voice for the voiceless and as active alternative leaders. The study argues that the strategies help the leaders to amplify their authority by showcasing personal presence and past accomplishments, appealing to the concerns of the masses and soliciting their support in future elections. The study demonstrates that these strategies project female leaders as dynamic participants in political and public decision-making processes and positively evaluate their contributions to social change.