Political Issues Research Articles

PROGRESSIVE CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN THE ELIMINATION OF RABIES AMONG THE STRAY DOG (CANIS FAMILIARIS) POPULATION IN PAKISTAN

Stray dogs are integrally linked with rabies transmission, and a sizeable unmanaged dog population hinders rabies control program planners. Dog population management (DPM) is one of the best strategies to control rabies transmission, improve health management, and lower the population size of stray dogs. The threat of rabies is very serious due to free-roaming dogs. Foxes, skunks, groundhogs, raccoons, and house bats are rabies vector species and can carry rabies virus without showing any symptoms. Rabies is a life-threatening disease that affects thousands of losses worldwide every year. World Rabies Day is an international awareness campaign coordinated by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC). In Pakistan, there are reportedly 3 million stray dogs. More than one million dog bite cases are reported annually throughout Pakistan. About 600 dog bite cases are reported daily in the Sindh province, Pakistan. Due to an uncontrolled number of stray dogs, many serious problems arise related to public health, socio-economic, and political issues. The Animal Act of 1890 provides a specific defense against cruelty and establishes its importance in Pakistani culture. Developing long-term and supportable strategies is imperative to overcome the stray animal population worldwide. To overcome the rabies issue in Pakistan, the government should implement projects on breeding control of stray dogs through spaying and neutering surgeries. The government should also provide proper shelters for dogs and rabies vaccines. There is a need to be aware of basic preventive measures such as disinfectants and rabies vaccination. Public awareness, rabies vaccination, and dog sterilization at the national level are crucial factors in preventing rabies and managing the dog population in Pakistan.

Some inconvenient truths about decarbonization, the hydrogen economy, and power-to-X technologies

The decarbonization of the energy sector has been a subject of research and of political discussions for several decades, gaining significant attention in the last years. It is commonly acknowledged that the most obvious way to achieve decarbonization is the use of renewable energy sources.Within the context of the energy sector decarbonization, many mainly industrialized countries recently started developing national plans to establish a hydrogen-based economy in the very near future. The plans for green hydrogen initially try to (a) target sectors that are difficult to decarbonize and (b) address issues related to the storage and transportation of CO2-free energy.To achieve almost complete decarbonization, electric power must be generated exclusively from renewable sources. In so-called Power-to-X (PtX) technologies, green hydrogen is generated from electricity and subsequently converted to another energy carrier which can be further stored, transported and used. In PtX, X stands, for example, for liquid hydrogen, methanol or ammonia.The challenges associated with decarbonization include those associated with (a) the expansion of renewable energies (e.g., high capital demand, political and social issues), (b) the production, transportation, and storage of hydrogen and the energy carriers denoted by X in PtX (e.g., high cost and low overall efficiency), and (c) the expected significant increase in the demand for electrical energy. The paper discusses whether and under which conditions the current national and international hydrogen plans of many industrialized countries could lead to a maximization of decarbonization in the world. It concludes that, in general, as long as the conditions for generating large excess amounts of green electricity are not met, the quick establishment of a hydrogen economy could not only be very expensive, but also counterproductive to the worldwide decarbonization efforts.

Planning Policies and Public Health in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and Its Policies to Combat COVID-19 in Duhok City

Purpose: The Kurdistan region of Iraq had been affect by the covid pandemic like the rest of the part in the world and Duhok city specifically faced several problems as the city and health policy were not ready to ace the crises. It had a negative impact on the sustainability of health sector specifically the economic side. This study tries to identify the problems to achieve tan appropriate standard of good health among Kurdistan's general population, especially in the city of Duhok, to ensure more equitable access to health services throughout the country's social and geographic expansion, take into account poverty and to strive to get better treatment, understand the condition of the city of Duhok via COVID-19, and how the government deals with the medical system in this condition, protect and encourage the right to health care for individuals and create equality in the health care system for both genders, beliefs and positions. Methodology: Through conducting the qualitative research approach by using two types for collecting data ( Data Collection Methods) which are primary data and secondary data, primary data for collecting direct information from patients and IDPs and refugees to know their health conditions and whether they are satisfied or not for public health system, physicians as well to know their treatment to patients, and secondary data to gather information from health directorate in Duhok city, camp health administration and humanitarian health organizations to understand better the situation. Findings: The findings of the study indicates that the pandemic struck at a time when public faith in the government was low, the economy was damaged by lower oil sales income, protests were common across the country, and violent extremist acts were on the rise. COVID-19 has worsened long-standing and sometimes deep-seated political, economic, social, and security issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic loss of human life around the world, posing an unprecedented challenge to public health, food systems, and the workplace. The pandemic's economic and social impact is devastating: tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty, while the number of undernourished people is currently estimated to be nearly 690 million, By the end of the year, the number could have risen to 132 million. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Food security, public health, and employment and labor issues, particularly worker health and safety, all intersect during the COVID-19 crisis. However, in Azadi hospital we cannot talk to people because of virus, the risk of contracting COVID-19 via an infected person's feces appears to be low. The COVID-19 virus may cause intestinal infection and be found in feces, according to some data.

Taking sides: Corporate social responsibility and political ideology

AbstractIn the United States and other countries, large private firms are increasingly more likely to take public political stances on controversial issues. Firms behave as ideological actors when they take sides in large public debates on social and economic issues. These stances may involve public speech, changes in the terms of service, or in internal reorganization and intrafirm actions. Despite the increase in firms' political actions, firms' ideological orientations remain unexamined. To answer this question, we collect corporate social responsibility statements from Fortune 1000 firms. Using semisupervised topic models, we identify topics that reflect stances on environmental and social issues. We then examine if firms are more likely to take stances on political issues due to pragmatic or ideological factors. We find that while pragmatic considerations play a role, firms' political stances are more driven by the ideological orientation of employees and managers. This research contributes a novel measure of firm ideology and sheds new light on the determinants of corporate political activity.

Navigating the Crossroads- Understanding the Interconnected Realities of Israel-Palestine

The Israel-Palestine conflict sprouts from a range of historical and political issues. This abstract gives an insightful summarization of the same.\n From the beginning of the 20th century to now, a combination of past events and present-day happenings in politics has had an impact on how the conflict looks. This information will talk about land arguments, safety fears as well as rival nations. Deeply rooted narratives and identities lie at its heart, all rooted in a piece of land and a past. This results in a variety of perspectives among Israelis and Palestinians because of religion, ideological bends as well as global shifts in power. However, there are still chances of peace amidst numerous barriers. These interdependent facts must be appreciated to enhance understanding and compassion; thus paving the way for an equitable and viable settlement.

Evolution of Brazilian Democracy: Unveiling Election Dynamics in Political Issues, Negativity, and Acclaim

In recent years, Brazil, as the world’s fourth-largest democracy, witnessed the dominance of polarized and symbolically charged electoral campaigns on social media, culminating in the election of a populist political figure in 2018 and his subsequent defeat in 2022. Extensive research has indicated that political campaigns often sidelined substantive policy proposals in favor of negative and divisive issues. However, a critical gap remains in the absence of temporal investigations contrasting the prevalence of negativity and acclaim campaigns on social media platforms during elections. This study addresses this gap by examining associations between political issues and negative and acclaim campaigns across two Brazilian electoral campaigns. Drawing upon a sample of messages posted on Twitter (n = 1,191) during the presidential elections of 2018 and 2022, our study reveals associations between substantive political issues, such as education and health, and acclaim campaign strategies, while the divisive issues of Covid-19 and corruption are associated with negative campaign strategies. Moreover, the results suggest that gender policy is related to both acclaim and negative messages since it is a polarizing issue in Brazilian politics. Our study also shows an increased negativity trend, with the 2022 presidential election campaign more likely to be negative than in 2018. By conducting a temporal analysis of Brazil’s political context, our study sheds light on the evolving dynamics of political communication in the age of social media, contributing substantially to the literature on negativity in political campaigns.

Measuring political radicalism and extremism in surveys: Three new scales.

This paper introduces three new scales to measure left- and right-wing radical as well as general extremist attitudes that can be applied across Western European countries. We therefore propose a thorough conceptualization of extremist attitudes that consists of two dimensions: general extremism, by which we understand attitudes that oppose the constitutional democratic state, and another dimension that differentiates between right- and left-wing radicalism by which we understand people who take far-reaching but often one-sided positions on political issues (e.g., on nationalism or anti-imperialism) by advocating fundamental socio-political change. Based on data from Germany, Great Britain, and the Netherlands (n = 6,201) we created short indices for general extremism and left- and right-wing radicalism. We check for convergence validity by assessing the psychometric properties of the extracted indices, i.e. their internal coherence and the degree to which a scale is able to distinguish strongly extremist and non-extremist individuals. Finally, we correlate the scales with various constructs that are likely related to extremist attitudes in order to assure external or construct validity. The results indicate that the three scales are highly valid and applicable across three Western European countries. Overall, we find that about two to four percent of citizens in each country hold left-wing or right-wing extremist attitudes.

Образные единицы в коммуникативных практиках медиатизированного политического дискурса

The article is dedicated to the communicative features of mediatized political discourse, which remain insufficiently explored. Using the example of the use of figurative means of language in the genres of media-political communications, it is demonstrated that the mediatized form of communication possesses not only the basic functions of professional discourse but also additional functions: amplifying or softening content, saving linguistic means, emotional and attractive functions. Each of these functions plays a significant role in shaping audience perception and influencing public opinion on political issues. With the help of contextual and semantic analysis, as well as the corpus method, the following results were obtained: in the studied context, figurative units are important linguistic means used for the effective conveyance of specific political views and emotions. These units include figurative metaphors and comparisons, phraseology, proverb, precedent phenomena and colloquial expressions. The novelty of the research lies in the analysis of communicative features and functions of figurative units in various genres of mediatized political discourse: political talk shows, political interviews, and internet texts of politicians. The research results can be applied in the practice of media communication, communicative linguistics, and discourse theory.

Decolonizing Regional Politics in Oceania: Re-examining the Historical Record

ABSTRACT Contemporary scholarship on the decolonization of regional organizations in Oceania has emphasized the agency of Indigenous leaders and the extent to which they led the charge to both decolonize the South Pacific Commission and to set up a new regional organization, namely, the South Pacific Forum, in which political issues could freely be discussed. In doing so, there has been a tendency to treat the colonial powers as a homogeneous group all reading from the same imperial script while Pacific Island leaders are often portrayed as a largely unified ensemble of players whose own agendas naturally harmonized around the project of decolonization. In re-examining the historical record, this article highlights the diversity of approaches evinced by actors on the regional stage leading up to the formation of the South Pacific Forum in 1971, showing that there are many more nuances to the story.

Water for Food in the Tigris–Euphrates River System

Water scarcity is an important threat to food security in the Tigris–Euphrates river system. Water scarcity is a huge worldwide problem that results from the rapid increase in water demand, which exceeds the amount of available water. The most significant problems currently affecting countries are food insecurity water scarcity. The Tigris–Euphrates river system countries suffer from different political issues, such as the Syrian war and internal civil conflicts in Iraq. In addition, this area consists of only three countries: Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, but it affects the entire Middle East. Turkey has established many irrigation projects compared to Iraq, which still suffers from the previous American invasion. Therefore, this study examines the Tigris–Euphrates river system (using two countries) to examine the relationship between water scarcity and food security from 1992 to 2020. This study will be conducted using a fixed and random regression approach over 18 years. The results show a negative relationship between water scarcity and food security in the short run, at a 10% significance level, and a long-term positive relationship of 1%. Thus, the use of research and development and the encouragement of investments will help policymakers to develop a nexus between water scarcity and food security.

Constructing solidarity through social justice in education: from collaboration and conflict to amalgamation between Swedish teacher unions

ABSTRACT Trade union collaboration on issues of social justice connects workers to each other and to their wider communities and is therefore considered a strategy of union renewal. Prior to their amalgamation on 1 January 2023, Lärarförbundet (Swedish Teachers’ Union) and Lärarnas Riksförbund (National Union of Teachers in Sweden) collaborated intermittently to challenge educational injustices in the highly segregated Swedish school market. Through documentary research, with dialogue as method, this case study explores the policies and politics of this inter-union collaboration. Using ‘framing’ and ‘intermediation’ as conceptual lenses, we argue that the two unions collaborated predominantly, but to varying degrees, on bargaining, political, and professional issues. However, these joint actions were conducted in the context of declining union membership, competitive national recruitment agendas, and the rise of grassroots teacher-led ‘rebellion’ groups campaigning for public education. External solidarity in organising was therefore limited by inter-organisational and intra-professional differentiation and both unions’ orientation towards a service model of unionism. Future research might explore the complexity of intra-union collaboration in the newly amalgamated Sveriges Lärare and the extent to which regional branch activism and broader alliances with social movements could promote a more democratic organising agenda.

How Christian Leaders Navigate Race After George Floyd's Murder: A Study of Unsettled Times

AbstractThe murder of George Floyd in 2020 and subsequent calls for a reckoning with systematic racism forced many religious leaders to confront the question of how to talk about race in their congregations to an extent not seen in the 21st century. We argue that this period reflects an “unsettled time” and prompted several types of leadership responses, which we have identified through interviews with Christian religious leaders. Among leaders of non‐Black congregations, we find three common responses: feeling called to openly take a stand against racial injustice, cautiously engaging the issue but experiencing tensions in one's congregation, and avoidance by claiming that racial justice is primarily a political issue that should only be addressed in religious contexts as far as it relates to biblical teachings. Finally, we find a more consistent assumption of the need to address racial injustice among the leaders of majority Black congregations.

Eusebius of Caesarea’s Christology and The Nicene Confession

This work explores Eusebius of Caesarea’s Christological teaching, situating him in the complex web of interlocking religious and political issues that characterized the fourth-century Trinitarian discourse. It argues that the traditional groupings of bishops into different ecclesiastical alliances around this period did not entail that the personalities grouped therein necessarily held the same doctrinal confession. Such is demonstrated in the case of Eusebius of Caesarea who allied himself with the assembly of the Eusebian bishops—the group that sustained the claim of Arius leading to the 325 Council of Nicea and persecuted the defenders of the Nicene theology, most notably Athanasius, the years following the great council. It expostulates that, notwithstanding his association with the Eusebian party, the theology of the bishop of Caesarea, as specified in his works, both pre- and post-Nicene, is consistent with the view that the Son is fully divine, thus is reconcilable with the theology of Nicea.

From global trends to local realities: understanding women's political involvement for Indonesia's democratic progress

The urgency of this research lies in the need to understand the trends, contributions, and dynamics of women's political participation globally. This article aims to map studies that focus on women's political participation. Research methods include bibliometric analysis with data sources from the Scopus database. The study's findings reflect significant growth in women's political participation research, especially in recent years, with distribution varying by country and research theme. The research findings also show that although there are themes that have received attention, there are still areas that need to be explored further, such as intersectionality, gender equality, gender, and the impact of social media that provide insight into the complexity of women's political participation issues. This study recommends the need for increased research and local understanding of the factors influencing women's political participation in Indonesia to strengthen women's role in politics by learning from other countries that have successfully implemented inclusive policies. In addition, by involving various parties, including the government, research institutions, and civil society, Indonesia can create an environment that supports, empowers, and encourages women's political participation optimally. The implications of these findings not only help shape academic discourse, but also lay the foundation for concrete efforts to achieve gender equality and women's empowerment in the wider political sphere.

Lessons Learned from the Greek Economic Crisis and the Changes in Organizational Behavior, Focusing on Motivation and Leadership Issues. The Case of Greek Structural Design Engineers

The modern business operates in an ever-changing environment that is strongly influenced by technological, political, social, economic, and scientific issues. Their future and success are based on their ability to manage properly and to develop their human resources. Because of the economic crisis that started on 2008 the work environment worldwide changed in a great number of organizations. This sudden change of organization generated new topics in the field of organizations. Leadership and motivation in the workplace are two of them. The current work paper focuses on the in-depth analysis of a small group of employees (qualitative research) in a workplace with a strong influence from the Greek economic crisis. In the first part is presented the social and working face of Greece, the timeline of Greek crisis and its consequences. Empirical research conducted within the changing environment, its results, conclusions, and recommendations complete the current paper. The outcome highlights the need of efficient leadership, communication, and intrinsic motivation within the economic crisis environment.

Evaluation of water use impacts caused by real estate development with gentrification traits in the metropolitan area of San Luis Potosí

Water resource management is a technical, social, and political issue worldwide. Water, being a public good, is characterized as follows: “Unlike private goods, public goods are indivisible and cannot be satisfactorily met by the market or other private initiatives. The provision of public goods requires cooperation or coercion, either through collective action or effective government.” In this sense, water is a human right, as stated by the UN in its sixth sustainable development goal, which aims to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” Gradually, housing in the city of San Luis Potosí has shifted from being affordable for the entire population to becoming increasingly unattainable. Due to the growing demand for housing driven by common population growth and urban development, in recent years, vertical construction-both residential and commercial-has been implemented as a potential solution to this phenomenon, now accounting for 10% of constructions in this area in the capital city, according to the Registro Único de la Vivienda as of 2023. However, such constructions have brought new challenges to urbanization in San Luis Potosí city. As noted by Lozano Niño Y., areas, where high-socioeconomic-status apartment buildings with gentrification features proliferate, were not planned to support high population densities. Eventually, one of the possible consequences of high densification in these areas will be the inadequacy of basic services such as water. While vertical housing offers an alternative to maximize land use within the urban sprawl and could address housing demands, there is also a need to improve public services and urban infrastructure in the surrounding areas where these constructions are planned to prevent social inequality in terms of public service distribution. This study aims to analyze the relationship between case studies—buildings with gentrification features-and their impact on the use and distribution of potable water among the inhabitants of the urban sprawl of San Luis Potosí, by using geospatial methods and technologies.

From Tweet to Conflict: Critical Discourse Analysis on Daryl Morey's Tweet about Hong Kong Protest

The research focuses on the hidden reason that made Daryl Morey's tweet controversial in America and China. This research uses a descriptive qualitative method. The primary data are response tweets of Daryl Morey's tweet about the Hong Kong protest and Daryl Morey's initial tweet about the Hong Kong protest. This research also applies a transnational perspective; Fairclough's three-dimensional CDA is used to analyze and answer two research questions: how Morey's tweet about Hong Kong became a political issue between the NBA and China and how this issue affected the NBA. The research finding shows five reasons on how Morey's controversy became a political issue between the NBA and China: There are differences in interpretations of the tweet; where the U.S. interpreted it as freedom of speech and expression, but the Chinese interpreted it as a challenge to their sovereignty. Basketball's popularity in China expanded the escalation of the conflict. Moreover, by using Transnational as perspective and CDA as theory, researcher able to demonstrate how a single tweet can incite a global uproar and become the catalyst for a costly conflict between two superpower nations.

Indian Cinema: Bollywood as a Reflection of Social Political Issues

Abstract: Indian cinema, particularly Bollywood, has been a mirror reflecting the intricate tapestry of social and political issues prevalent in the country. This research project aims to delve into the dynamic relationship between Bollywood films and the socio-political landscape of India. Through an interdisciplinary approach encompassing film studies, sociology, and political science, this study will analyze a selection of Bollywood films spanning different eras and genres to explore how they engage with and reflect upon issues, such as gender inequality, caste discrimination, religious tensions, corruption, and socio-economic disparities. By examining the portrayal of these issues in cinematic narratives, visual aesthetics, characterizations, and thematic elements, this research seeks to elucidate the ways in which Bollywood serves as both a reflection and a commentary on the challenges and transformations shaping contemporary Indian society and politics. Additionally, the project will investigate the reception and impact of these films on audiences, considering their role in shaping public discourse, mobilizing social movements, and influencing policy debates. Through this comprehensive analysis, the research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between cinema, society, and politics in India

The Turkmen Language Survival in the City of Erbil: A Sociolinguistic Study

The main aim of the current study is to shed light on the current status of the Turkmen language in the city of Erbil. The main research questions for the current study are: Is the Turkmen language in any danger of extinction in Erbil? Does the Kurdistan Regional Government have any role in surviving the Turkmen language as an ethnic minority language in Erbil? The Turkmen language in Erbil is believed to be safe from extinction as Turkmen people use it in daily life without facing political or social issues. In order to obtain data, an open-ended survey is used involving 60 Turkmen teachers and instructors at Turkmen Atabag primary and secondary school for girls, Fuzuli primary and secondary coeducational school, Oghuzkhan primary and secondary school for boys, Gharibi high school for girls, Imaddadin high school for boys, and the Turkish Department at Salahaddin University/ College of Languages. For analysing the achieved data, the researcher used a mixed methods research approach, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative methods. The researcher follows the work of Mühlhäusler (1992) as an adopted model. The current study concludes that the Turkmen language is not in any danger at all in the city of Erbil. Moreover, the Kurdistan Regional Government plays a great role in surviving the Turkmen language in the city of Erbil.

Vladika bački Irinej i odnosi između Srpske pravoslavne crkve i države (1944–1955)

The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Yugoslav state in Vojvodina and Bačka in the context of the new communist regime’s treatment of the bishop of Bačka, Irinej Ćirić, from the time of the bishop’s liberation (1944) until his death (1955). Irinej was imprisoned under house arrest for 17 months shortly aft er the partisans captured Novi Sad due to his connections to the Hungarian occupation regime. Upon his release, he was attacked and beaten by a group of locals in Odžaci in 1946. This event, known as the ”Odžaci Affair”, was one of the contentious issues that burdened relations between the church and the state for a long time. The research also looks at how the Diocese of Bačka operated from 1944 to 1955, the attitudes of the clergy - who were closely monitored by the secret service and under pressure from the new authorities - and Irinej and his associates’ positions on certain political and ecclesiastical issues. It also examines at how these issues were resolved through mutual adaptation and a shift in the state’s attitude toward the church.