Political Dimensions Research Articles

A postcode lottery in education? Explaining regional inequality in multilevel systems

AbstractInequality is a challenge for societies around the globe. In addition to its socio‐economic and political dimensions, inequality also has a territorial dimension. Focusing on educational inequality across regions, this article explores factors that shape regional differences in student enrolment and educational attainment in 14 OECD countries. The findings of the article suggest that a strong level of regional authority over education increases regional inequality in education. Further factors are regional differences in education expenditures and variation in the population size of regions. Low regional inequality in education seems to be explained by a low degree of regional authority or low differences in education spending. By examining regional inequality in education, the article enhances our understanding of the way multilevel governance influences the quality of life within regions. In particular, it highlights the impact of decentralization on territorial inequality.

O bill Palmerston e o Império do Brasil

On August 24, 1839, the British Parliament passed the Palmerston Act as part of its global crusade against the smuggling of Africans to America. The measure, which signaled a radicalization of Britain's anti slave trade policy, classified the trade of Africans as trafficking, authorizing the country's navy to seize Portuguese vessels suspected of engaging in this activity. Based on the premise that the dispute between Portugal and Great Britain did not solely influence the fate of these countries, this article aims to analyze how the Brazilian press reacted to the Palmerston Act, especially in Rio de Janeiro. Additionally, the text intends to examine the consequences of this act for the future of the slave trade to the Empire of Brazil, particularly in its political dimension.

Human Rights System Guidelines on the Benefit from Scientific Progress in Access to Medicines

Abstract Health innovation and research has become an economic and profitable activity. Market practices have exposed inequalities, scarcities and inequities in access to treatments and have significantly reduced the decision-making power of governments in the field of public health. Documentary research on the human right (HR) to health (Art. 12) and its interrelationship with the right to benefit from scientific progress (Art. 15, b) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on access to medicines in three bodies of the UN system - the ICESCR Monitoring Committee (CESCR), the Human Rights Council (HRC) and World Health Organisation - over the last 10 years. The documents address three main topics. Market: marketing restrictions, price controls and using flexibility in pharmaceutical patents to reduce costs and produce generics. Innovation: patent protection without barriers to access to medicines for people in need. Health system interventions: giving priority to economic efficiency and sustainability by institutionalising health technology assessment, selecting essential medicines, developing clinical guidelines and integrating and linking regulatory agencies. These normative guidelines minimise the ethical, political and legal dimensions of the human right to enjoy scientific progress in access to medicines as a priority value that should guide public and private action, and emphasise technocratic and financial measures that seek to reconcile the liberal and social logic of the ICESCR. Key messages • In order to maximise the guarantee of human rights in access to medicines, economic and financial considerations should play only a residual role in human rights. • To give countries greater decision-making power at the global health, the scope of the right to benefit from scientific progress and its applications in health care needs to be expanded.

Reflecting on the powers, possibilities and constraints of geography curricula in England, Finland and Sweden

ABSTRACT National curriculum statements found within the Official Recontextualising Field (ORF) provide an insight into how geography as a school subject is conceptualized in a country’s education system. National curricula can shape teachers’ agency in curriculum making and what, how and where children and young people study and learn geography. This paper engages with the lower secondary national geography curriculum for England, Finland and Sweden. We examine the structure and nature of the national geography curricula in each country, before drawing on the threefold arrangement of geographical knowledge as a tool for the analysis of the curricula. Our analysis found that deep and descriptive world knowledge forms the largest proportion of all three national curricula documents, and we argue that this can lead to a potentially limited conceptualization of geographical knowledge and representation of geography. We also suggest that the threefold arrangement could more actively engage with political dimensions when considering futures, and that there should be greater attention paid to the histories and geographies of the discipline (geography) in school geography.

Culture and Social Movements: The Example of South Africa in the Post-Apartheid Period

This paper explores the intricate relationship between culture and social movements in post-apartheid South Africa through a critical phenomenological approach. This method focuses on the lived experiences and societal impacts of these movements, revealing how cultural symbols, narratives, religious frameworks, sports, media, and identity have shaped and sustained the struggles for justice and equality. The analysis begins by defining social movements and culture, emphasizing their interplay within the South African context. Using a phenomenological approach developed by Husserl and expanded by Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Sartre, this study undertakes steps such as phenomenological reduction, description, essence identification, and structural analysis. These steps are further enriched by combining critical theory with phenomenology, highlighting social, historical, and political dimensions. This approach allows for an in-depth understanding of how culture, encompassing cognitive, emotional, and moral components, influences the formation, strategies, and sustainability of social movements. Key findings illustrate that cultural elements have served as sources of resistance, empowerment, and solidarity, playing an essential role in shaping collective identities and actions. Ultimately, this research provides a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic interplay between culture and social movements in South Africa, underscoring the importance of cultural resources in driving social change.

The hidden garden: cultivating relational writing through intimate encounters in the collective research journey

ABSTRACT Relational writing offers an alternative approach to traditional writing and is a process to explore intimacy in togetherness. In this paper, we offer a bouquet of stories that we, eight scholars, have written collectively to share our memories of researching and writing together over the past three years. Ours was not a linear journey; it evolved organically, like a rhizome. With our intention to relate, intimacy followed. We contend that this intimacy can help us withstand the pressures of the neoliberal academy, foster care and, most importantly, flourish like a garden. We find that the journey of relational writing nurtures new ideas and possibilities, it is not just transactional, but cultivated. This paper, therefore, contributes to emergent theorising on collective writing and writing differently by advancing the concept, practice and experience of relational writing across aesthetic, moral and political dimensions.

Taking knowledge exchange to practice: A scoping review of practical case studies to identify enablers of success in environmental management

AbstractA gap exists in the literature on how to implement theories of knowledge exchange (KE) into practice within an environmental management context. To support the improved practice of KE, we conducted a scoping literature review evaluating 56 empirical case studies globally to identify enabling conditions for implementing effective KE. Identified enabling conditions were organized into a core capacities framework, which highlighted essential elements of effective KE from organizational, individual, financial, material, practical, political, and social capacity dimensions. Results show that major enablers to effective KE relate to practitioners' individual and organizational capacity including the ability of practitioners (often boundary spanners) to establish trust with relevant actors through their interpersonal relationships and possessing sufficient background knowledge and skills to facilitate collaborations across disciplines and sectors. We also identified main challenges to engaging in KE (e.g., insufficient long‐ term funding for projects, lack of interpersonal skills for KE practitioners to build relationships and network, and inadequate background knowledge for practitioners to exchange knowledge in an accessible manner), and the outcomes and impacts that can emerge from effective KE work. We find that practitioners often perform quantitative evaluations that provide instantaneous and measurable impacts for the effectiveness of KE, but do not capture the impact of interpersonal relationships and trust that are best achieved through qualitative approaches. Lastly, the synthesis of enablers, challenges, outcomes, and impacts presented in this paper can be a resource for practitioners to identify what enablers may be missing from their KE strategies and in what capacity the KE work can be strengthened.

Jewish-Muslim Friendship Networks: A Study of Intergenerational Boundary Work in Postwar Germany

Abstract This article presents a little-known story of Jewish-Muslim coexistence in Germany after World War Two. Using an ethnographic case study of Frankfurt am Main’s train-station district (Bahnhofsviertel), the analysis investigates long-term and partially forgotten Jewish-Muslim narratives, relations, and neighborhood encounters, paying particular attention to the changing political, spatial, and temporal dimensions that have blurred or closed symbolic boundaries between Jews and Muslims since the late 1960s. Bringing together the scholarship on symbolic boundaries and urban diversity, the theoretical discussion contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the variegated processes of Jewish-Muslim boundary-making and un-making over time, as well as the macro- and micro-level influences which shape these negotiations and outcomes. Studying Jewish-Muslim relations at the neighborhood level by adopting a boundary-related approach brings out more clearly the tensions over groupism and fluidity in theoretical debates and removes the current exceptionalism around Jewish-Muslim themes, making them more easily compared with other boundary processes within everyday life.

Veterinary ethics and companion animal euthanasia: what can we learn from critical disability studies?

Within veterinary ethics and practice around companion animal end-of-life and euthanasia, the political and cultural dimensions of death and dying are rarely addressed. This reduces the ability to engage with questions like: what future potential goods (positive affective states, meaning) could an animal experience by continuing to live; what constitutes a life worth living; and how can we make this decision for another being? These are questions that have been subject to extensive dialogue within Critical Disability Studies. The aim of this paper is to provide an analysis of how core considerations from Critical Disability Studies could be useful in veterinary ethics when considering companion animal end of life and euthanasia. First, critiques of the dis/ability binary and associated hierarchies raise questions about how animal disability and illness are understood, and around challenging questions like psychological illness and behavioural euthanasia. Second, nuanced engagements with questions of a life worth living and Quality of Life emphasise the importance of individual animal experiences, personality, and the foregrounding of ‘what is important for the animal’. Third, dialogues around choice and agency critique the tendency to focus on owner choice, rather asking what opportunities there are to listen to the preferences of animals themselves. Finally, engaging with care and power highlights the ambivalent nature of caregiving, of euthanasia as a practice of care, and the power intrinsic to making End of Life decisions on behalf of another. Overall, perspectives from Critical Disability Studies allow us to engage with challenging questions of veterinary ethics and end-of-life care in companion animal practice with more nuance and complexity.

Locating the stigmatisation of children born of wartime rape on a continuum of violence

ABSTRACT Children born of wartime sexual violence remain a marginalised group whose lives and needs have largely been overlooked. Over the past two decades, scholarship has emerged addressing some of the multiple issues they face. This research shows that stigmatisation is central in the children’s lives, but rarely provides a deeper definition of stigma that interrogates its structural and political dimension. Bridging feminist peace scholarship and new streams of stigma research, this article sets out to conceptualise stigmatisation as a complex form of violence that concurrently reflects and reproduces gendered power dynamics across the peace–war spectrum. Drawing on narratives by children born of war in the Central African Republic, Uganda, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, this article examines how stigmatisation materialises as different forms of ‘everyday violence’ that intersects at a personal, social, and structural level. By untangling their stories, the study shows how stigmatisation profoundly impacts the children’s experiences of peace and sustains the ‘conditions of war’ in the everyday space while perpetuating structural cycles of gender-based violence that persists in transitional and post-conflict environments. The article highlights the importance of placing the children’s perspectives at the centre when analysing stigmatisation and offers new insight on how stigma operates as violence.

Mapping a food donation supply chain and the implications for social policies in Brazil

PurposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic raised global alarms about hunger and food insecurity worldwide and the corresponding need for public policies, particularly in emerging countries. One possible solution for addressing this important topic is a food donation supply chain, which comprises food banks and involves their relationships with suppliers (donors), customers (people in need) and other potential stakeholders. The aim of this research is to understand how different agents in a food donation supply chain use different but interrelated capital dimensions (human, structural and relational) to leverage their resources and build knowledge in their relationships with other stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted an abductive single case study with the food bank as a focal organisation in a direct supply chain. Data were collected by way of 15 semi-structured interviews with representatives from each tier in the chain (food bank, donor, social impact company and social movement), non-participant observation and secondary data (e.g. codes of practice, websites and media). All data sources were analysed individually and then cross-checked.FindingsOur findings show that tangible dimensions, such as those that are structural, are present upstream while intangible dimensions – those that are relational and human, for example – are prevalent downstream. The political dimension was identified as an important mechanism that allows stakeholder engagement and access to resources, funding and government incentives.Originality/valueBy applying a multi-tier approach, the present research explores how different stages in this supply chain use intellectual capital (IC) to better manage relationships. The heterogeneity of agents within the food donation supply chain (public, private and third sector), each of which has distinct levels of IC dimensions, can share their knowledge to improve efficiency and social protection mechanism policies. Since the focal organisation is a non-profit organisation, this study also contributes to IC theory.

Interlinking financial stability regulation and governance in German professional soccer: contribution and implications

IntroductionThis study explores the integration of financial stability regulation in professional soccer within the framework of sport governance, focusing on the German context. The research examines how financial regulations influence key governance principles such as accountability, transparency, and sustainability, while also addressing the challenges posed by the dynamic nature of professional soccer.MethodsA qualitative methodology was employed, using focus group discussions with nine experts, including representatives from soccer clubs, auditing firms and other relevant stakeholders. The discussions aimed to capture diverse perspectives on the impact of financial stability regulation on governance practices within the German soccer league and clubs.ResultsThe findings reveal that financial stability regulation is effective in promoting financial discipline and accountability at both league and club levels. However, the study also identifies challenges, such as the need for greater harmonization of regulatory frameworks across different levels of professional soccer and the potential benefits of implementing incentive mechanisms within the financial stability regulation to improve governance at the league and club levels.DiscussionThe study underscores the importance of a multi-dimensional approach to financial stability regulation, considering political, systemic, and organizational dimensions. It highlights the potential for improving governance through the adoption of independent governance models and more practical applications of governance principles. Future research could further explore these areas, offering insights that could enhance the effectiveness of financial regulation in professional soccer and potentially other sport contexts.

“I always say, it’s the icing on the cake”: the discursive production of fare-free public transport in Luxembourg

ABSTRACT Although the policy of fare-free public transport (FFPT) continues to gain popularity across diverse geographical contexts, the case of Luxembourg is unique in this global landscape. It is the first nation-state to have universally abolished fares, in a society characterized by high incomes and GDP, and a particularly high car ownership rate. In this paper, we analyze the evolution of political discourses on FFPT in Luxembourg surrounding the introduction of the policy. Using qualitative methods, we reconstruct the decision-making process and examine the competing ideologies that shaped it. We find that the idea germinated on the margins of the political spectrum, but was adopted by those in power because of the unique opportunity to combine territorial marketing with a form of socially-inclusive and sustainable policy that would not harm the widely valued car-based transport system. Hence, this process demonstrates both the post-political aspects of FFPT, illustrated by how its introduction helped to marginalize critical voices around fare abolition, and its political dimension related to the public debate and the contestation that FFPT engendered.

Two worlds, one nation? Comparing the political spaces of Flanders and Francophone Belgium

Abstract The transformation of the Belgian party system has unfolded asymmetrically: while conservative and far-right parties have thrived in Flanders, the populist right vote has not (yet) been mobilized in Francophone Belgium. Focusing on the demand side of electoral politics, this article explores whether these disparities on the supply side mirror distinct political dimensions and cleavages in both regions. By using an innovative methodology of (class-specific) multiple correspondence analysis, we find that the Flemish and the Francophone political space are largely alike – both in terms of the composition of their political dimensions as in their cleavage structure. However, we also find that Francophones adhere to a distinctive welfare consensus, which prevents working-class embourgeoisement and likely moderates the electoral fortunes of the far right. Overall, our results challenge the common stereotypes of a ‘conservative Flanders’ and a ‘progressive Wallonia’.

Global Climate Change: Challenges, Opportunities, and Multilateral Strategies for Sustainable Development

Background: Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges, demanding collaborative action from both developed and developing countries. Despite numerous international agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, political will and leadership commitment have been inconsistent, hindering effective global climate action. Private actors and global partnerships have emerged as critical players in addressing climate risks, but geopolitical and economic tensions continue to impede progress. Objectives: This research explores the key challenges and opportunities in combating climate change, emphasizing the role of international cooperation, the involvement of private and public sectors, and the need for innovative solutions. It also seeks to examine the responsibilities of developed and developing countries in contributing to global climate goals. Methods: A qualitative analysis was conducted by reviewing relevant literature, international agreements, and case studies. Data from climate summits, reports, and expert opinions were integrated to understand the political, economic, and environmental dimensions of climate change. Findings: The study identifies several challenges, including a lack of political will among major powers, economic competition, and inconsistent global leadership. It also highlights opportunities, such as the potential for technological innovation, investment in renewable energy, and the strategic role of private actors in promoting sustainable development. The findings underscore the importance of global partnerships and multilateral platforms like the United Nations in fostering cooperation among nations. Conclusion: Addressing climate change requires a holistic approach involving state and non-state actors, strong political leadership, and global partnerships. The transition to a low-carbon economy will require significant economic restructuring, but it presents opportunities for innovation and sustainable development. The study emphasizes the need for developed countries to fulfill their financial commitments to support adaptation in developing nations. Novelty: This research contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of both the challenges and opportunities in combating climate change. It highlights the critical role of private actors and international cooperation, offering a framework for future global actions.

Religion, Extraction, and Just Transition in Appalachia

This paper employs approaches from religious studies and Appalachian studies to examine the history, influence, and future of a multifaceted ethos of extraction, particularly as it influences the coal industry, in the Appalachian region of the United States. While many studies of extraction and the coal industry focus on their economic and political dimensions, by examining a broader ethos of extraction, this paper highlights multiple religious influences, including the entanglements between religious communities and extraction-based industries, the powerful moral narratives that serve to interpret and justify extraction, and the dynamics involved in shaping local identities and perceptions of place that enable this ethos to influence post-coal transition efforts. The result is a broad survey of the influences and impacts of resource extraction in Appalachia that challenges many of the longstanding stereotypes that can still be commonly found deployed about the region. In examining these influences, the paper also describes how academic interpreters have helped to shape popular conceptions of the Appalachian region that ultimately support ongoing extractive practices. Building upon insights from grassroots, anti-extractive activist communities in the region, the paper concludes by suggesting some ways that academics might adopt restorative ethics and practices in their work to address the entanglements between extractive scholarship and exploitation and devise alternative paths for just futures.

Causes of Nurses' Migration, A Systematic Review

Background and Objectives: One of the foundations of the health system are nurses. Migration is one of the factors of reducing and losing this valuable capital. Methods: In this systematic review study, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SID, Magiran and Google Scholar databases were searched without time limit and based on the Prisma method, and in order to evaluate the quality of the articles, critical evaluation checklists of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) were used. Results: First, 265 articles were extracted. After screening and removing duplicate articles, unrelated, without complete text, the qualitative evaluation stage was performed, and finally 17 articles were included in the study. No intervention was reported in the articles and no study prioritized the identified effective factors. The causes affecting migration were classified into two main categories: Causes related to the country of origin (push factors) and causes related to the destination country (pull factors). The factors in the countries of origin and destination were counted in three areas: individual factors, social factors and cultural factors. Income, job position, job security, continuing education facilities and educational technology, team relations and facilities in the work environment and family status were identified as the most important factors affecting migration. Conclusion: Nurses and especially young nurses from third world countries had a high desire to immigrate. Considering the multi-dimensional causes affecting the migration of nurses, in order to manage this phenomenon effectively, special attention and structural reforms in the social, cultural, political and economic dimensions are needed

It is about time! Exploring the clashing timeframes of politics and public policy experiments

Abstract Although existing studies on experimental policymaking have acknowledged the importance of the political setting in which policy experiments take place, we lack systematic knowledge on how various political dimensions affect experimental policymaking. In this article, we address a specific gap in the existing understanding of the politics of experimentation: how political timeframes influence experimental policymaking. Drawing on theoretical discussions on experimental policymaking, public policy, electoral politics, and mediatization of politics, we outline expectations about how electoral and problem cycles may influence the timing, design, and learning from policy experiments. We argue electoral timeframes are likely to discourage politicians from undertaking large-scale policy experiments and if politicians decide to launch experiments, they prefer shorter designs. The electoral cycle may lead politicians to draw too hasty conclusions or ignore the experiment’s results altogether. We expect problem cycles to shorten politicians’ time horizons further as there is pressure to solve problems quickly. We probe the plausibility of our theoretical expectations using interview data from two different country contexts: Estonia and Finland.

Political Participation for Social Inclusion of Internally Displaced Persons

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) have suffered multiple disadvantages and experienced social exclusion due to involuntary movement to new communities where they struggle to find opportunities for social inclusion. This study examined the political dimensions of social inclusion which focus on engaging IDPs in decision-making on issues that concern them. The study used the democratic participatory theory as a framework for political participation through decision-making. The qualitative exploratory study used in-depth interviews to collect data from twelve IDPs, comprising five females and seven males, who were resident in Benue State, Nigeria. Findings show that government does not incorporate the decisions and choices of IDPs when designing humanitarian measures for protection and assistance; IDPs are not communicated with on issues of interest to them; and IPDs lack sustainable opportunities for interaction with host communities. The study concludes that not incorporating the decisions of IDPs in issues of interest to them creates a culture of humanitarian aid dependency. The study recommends democratising solutions by using grassroots bottom-up measures for sustainable social inclusion of IDPs where solutions emerge from IDPs who are the end beneficiaries of the interventions. A discussion of the study findings is followed by concluding recommendations.

Diversifying climate policy advice: Research agenda on the expertise of national climate councils

Understanding who influences climate policy and how expertise shapes decision-making is crucial in tackling climate change effectively. This perspective piece seeks to unravel the complexities of climate governance by reflecting on the role of experts in shaping climate policies. We suggest a new research agenda for studies on the representation and role of expertise in national climate institutions and in policymaking. With a shift towards national implementation, following the Paris Agreement, greater scholarly attention to the role of domestic institutions, including their scientific foundations, is crucial for our understanding of today's climate governance. Focusing on national climate councils, we debate the role of their expert composition and diversity of scientific expertise. We highlight the need for more research on the epistemic diversity and pay special attention to the role of social sciences, particularly the discipline's ability to address the political dimensions of climate action, such as equity, justice, and public acceptance.