Political Motivations Research Articles

Dynamics of Interests and Positions in the Field of Economic Integration of Russia and Belarus (2019–2020)

Introduction. Economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus is based on the platforms of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Union State, and the Eurasian Economic Union. These associations contribute to the identification and promotion of promising business niches and areas of economic integration, taking into account the interests of the participating countries. The Union State, embodying a more multidimensional idea of integration, encourages us to turn to a deeper and more substantive analysis of the relationship between various factors and spheres. The purpose of the article is to identify positive and negative constants and dominants of economic interaction between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the general course of integration processes in the CIS and in the context of current challenges of modernity for both countries and the Union State. Materials and Methods. The main research methods are diachronic analysis, event analysis and the method of studying documents. The main sources are materials posted on the Internet resources of integration associations with the participation of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. Results. The key actors – state and non-state participants in the economic integration of Russia and Belarus – are identified, the degree of their involvement in integration processes and the dynamics of interaction are characterized. The most attractive traditional spheres of Russian-Belarusian integration are shown, as well as new vectors determined by current needs. Discussion and Conclusion. A moderate positive scenario is considered the most likely in the field of economic integration of Russia and Belarus. The deepening of integration is determined by the content and orientation of the “road maps”, the established economic relationships and political motives in the internal and external spheres. However, the economy in the process of union building largely continues to follow politics. The necessity of closer coupling of efforts within the framework of the CGB and the EAEU is shown. At the same time, the “dissolution” of the Union State in the EAEU and subordination to it in the logic of integration development are assessed as undesirable.

Political participation profiles

The literature on the participation paradox, stealth democracy, political transformation and populism implicitly refers to the existence of different participation profiles, but its empirical evidence focuses on separate actions. While several studies have examined the existence of distinct combinations of actions, such participation profiles have rarely been placed within a theoretical framework or connected to the motivations and resources that shape participation. In this article these connections are given a theoretical basis and empirically tested via latent class analysis of a unique set of 12 different political activities. After establishing the participation profiles, it is assessed how political motivations (e.g. interest, efficacy) and resources (time and skills) explain profile membership by using fractional multinomial logistic regression models. Combining these two steps helps to reassess what levels of political participation actually imply for the functioning of our democracies. Crucially, the participation elite is small; faithful voters are numerous but not particularly engaged; and systemically dissatisfied citizens tend to disengage – only a few try to transform the system. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2021.2017612 .

The Fama-French model for estimating the cost of equity capital: The impact of real options of investment projects

We use the classic and modified Fama-French models to estimate the cost of capital of stock portfolios listed on selected markets. We compare four highly developed markets (US, EU, Japanese and global) and the Polish market as an alternative investment opportunity and a CEE emerging market. The performance of the applied procedures for estimating the cost of capital for company projects is examined and cost of capital is assessed with and without real option adjustment. We adjust the portfolios’ returns using the firms’ book-to-market ratios and idiosyncratic volatility as option proxies. The variability of cost of capital is evaluated using bootstrap methods. Our study shows a clear difference between bootstrapped distributions of cost of capital for the tested developed market and the Polish market portfolios. Wider confidence intervals of the estimated cost of capital of the studied Polish portfolios may result from political motivations in managing state-controlled companies. Our findings also indicate a clear difference between the cost of capital for tested portfolios with and without option adjustment. The widths of the estimated confidence intervals increase after option adjustment. The highest/lowest values of the cost of capital both with and without option adjustment are found for the US/Japanese market portfolios.

Moving beyond debunking conspiracy theories from a narrow epistemic lens: ethical and political implications for education

ABSTRACT How should educators deal with conspiracy theories in the classroom, if at all? Do the epistemic deficiencies of some conspiracy theories make them easy prey for debunking? Can the moral and political dangers that certain conspiracy theories pose to democratic societies justify educators avoiding addressing conspiracy theories in the classroom? These questions are at the heart of this essay. Its purpose is to assess both the promises and perils of whether and under which conditions it might be pedagogically productive to address conspiracy theories in the classroom. In particular, it is argued that debunking conspiracy theories in the classroom from a narrow epistemic lens (fact-checking) is not only impossible, but also unproductive. It is suggested that a fruitful trajectory to deal with conspiracy theories is to go beyond treating them merely as a narrow epistemic problem and consider the ethical and political motivations and implications of conspiracy theories.

Emergency, Solidarity and Responsibility: The Ethics of Face-to-Face (Border) Encounters

ABSTRACT Since the so-called 2015 Migration Crisis, great attention has been devoted to borders, activism and solidarity. While a part of the literature focuses on the political and/or humanitarian aspects of solidarity, this article suggests reading acts of solidarity through ethics. Looking at the Roya Valley, at the Italo–French border, I suggest that many local initiatives to assist and help migrants in transit were driven mostly by a sense of duty, rather than charity or political motives. The emergence of three specific circumstances – face-to-face encounters, conditions of emergency and a sense of duty – made locals offer solidarity because of a sense of responsibility. Faced with a choice between protecting themselves from legal charges or protecting human lives – those of migrants crossing along their route – or protecting themselves from legal charges, many border-people chose the first option. I, therefore, suggest that solidarity should be read through the prism of ethics. Building upon Levinas’ and Derrida’s ethics, I illustrate why face-to-face encounters make a difference and why response-ability requires impossible decisions.

Difficulties of Quality Education in Higher Education in India

Higher education will lead the world in 21st era because it not only creates greater personal and social prosperity, but it also affects all facets of development, including intellectual, social, cultural, aesthetic, physical, spiritual, and human capital development, directly or indirectly. Afterward, US and China, India has the world's third largest higher education system. University Grants Commission (UGC) is the largest regulatory body at the higher level, and it enforces its guidelines, advises the administration, and facilitates communication between the federal government and the states. The University Grants Commission oversees accreditation for higher education by 15 independent institutions. While the nation has progressed significantly in terms of enrolment, the standard of education continues to be a source of concern, which is critical for achieving the country's goals and implementing national policy. Weak facilities, exam-driven curriculum, memory-based exams, a shortage of qualified faculty, ineffective teaching strategies, a lack of funding, inconsistencies in government policy on higher education, entrenched political motives, massive demands from the youth population, political unrest, increasing privatisation, a lack of access and equity, and so on are some of the problems in higher education. There are several more problems like this, and this paper objectively examines all of them, as well as potential solutions.

The Politics of Bones: The Political Motives behind the Repatriation of Remains of Chinese Soldiers Killed in the Korean War

The Politics of Bones: The Political Motives behind the Repatriation of Remains of Chinese Soldiers Killed in the Korean War

Age differentiation of perception of anti-COVID measures (results of focus groups in the Kaliningrad Region)

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a key problem for Russian society and government officials in 2020. In this regard, there is an urgency to study the assessments and peculiarities of the perception by the population of anti-covid measures of the authorities, which were initially associated with risks of a social, economic, and political nature. The purpose of this study is to identify age-related features of the perception of anti-epidemic measures of the authorities, using the example of residents of the Kaliningrad region. From August to November 2020, six focus group interviews were conducted with representatives of three age groups. The data obtained were processed in the ATLAS.ti qualitative analysis program. As a result, it was revealed that the main age differences are manifested when assessing the introduction of remote forms of social interaction in the conditions of coronavirus. The older generation's negative attitude to innovation is due to concern for their grandchildren and children receiving the necessary educational and communication skills and competencies in this format, as well as due to fears of being deceived by fraudsters. At the same time, young people and middle-aged people note the positive possibilities of distance learning due to the simplification of the implementation of a number of social actions. Age differences were also revealed regarding the perception of information about the pandemic situation provided by government representatives. The youth believes that the distortion of this information may be based on the political motives of the authorities. Representatives of the older age group believe that the reason for the correction of information by the authorities is the desire to obtain financial benefits at the expense of the population. People in the age group of 31-49 years see this distortion mainly as a good motive for preventing panic among the population. Estimates of the introduction of self-isolation and the attitude to mass vaccination against COVID-19 were similar among representatives of different generations. Often supporting the regime of self-isolation, respondents noted the obligation of the authorities to ensure the financial security of people. Regarding the use of the vaccine, skepticism was found among all age groups due to fears about its unreliability

Impact of agricultural sector investment development on national economic output

This study aims to capture the investment performance of the agricultural sector in capital formation and the incremental capital output ratio (ICOR) and its relative contribution to the national economy in the 2011-2020 period. ICOR research method is the ratio of changes in output due to changes in capital as an indicator to measure investment performance. The research data used is secondary data obtained from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). The results of the study show that the investment performance of the food crop agricultural sector has fluctuated throughout 2011-2020. The impact of the policy on the agricultural sector was generally positive, but in that vulnerable year, investment leakage was found that led to efficiency. The cause of the leakage is the behaviour of rent-seeking which is reflected in the time leading up to the elections, namely in 2014 and 2018 with the leakage rate of the investment budget in that year being very high, namely 74.09% and 84.50%, respectively. The year 2012 was marked by an ICOR value close to 0 (zero) accompanied by the growth and performance of the agri-food sector of 12.80%. In 2013 and 2015 the performance of the food crop sector contributed to the economic growth of the food crop sector by 8.65% and 15.78%. Unfortunately, the potential for loss of income in that year was very high, namely Rp. 8.16 trillion and Rp. 17.45 trillion, respectively. The best period for the performance of the food crop agricultural sector occurred in the rent-seeking behaviour that occurred in 2 motives, namely political and economic motives. Political motives occur through the mechanism of the backing system and lobbying. The economic motive is caused by the emergence of transaction costs for the distribution of subsidized fertilizers so that it leads to an increase in the HET for subsidized fertilizers.

The political reasons and motives for the phenomenon of excluding scholars in the Arab Islamic state in the abbasid era

Despite the great position that the scholars enjoyed in the Arab Islamic state, especially in the Abbasid era, where the successors of this state were interested in science and scholars, and Islamic culture reached its peak in this era, but many scholars were subjected to exclusion and persecution in the Abbasid era, and the motives that were many It led to their exclusion, and political motives were one of the most important motives that led to the exclusion of scholars. The decisions to exclude the scholars varied between right and wrong, and in the effects that resulted from it, whether positive or negative. The wrong decisions were many when compared to the positive ones. The Arab Islamic state lost many scholars as a result of political exclusion, as well as the loss of administrative competencies that were supposed to be dealt with with his wisdom more in order to benefit from these competencies in managing the state because of the experiences they possess that would raise State level to the highest levels.

Impact of Major Sporting Events on International Relations :

Sports refers to organized skill-based activities taking place at an international level where countries and states compete against each other. Sports can be a basis to achieve the object of strengthening one’s international relations. They can be utilized by geopolitical blocks or states to showcase their superiority or develop a relationship with other states. Governments may want athletic victories to display the power of the political and economic system of the state. For political reasons, sports can also be used on an international scale; by participating (or not) in sports events, states can achieve a number of policy goals. It has to be noticed that professional sports were earlier a neglected activity, and in stereotypical families, especially in India, sports is still not considered to be a viable career option. However, in the past, sports have emerged as a strong source for the development of international relations. Sports are not just influenced by the policies of a country, but sporting events can also influence states on certain occasions. International sports tournaments and events serve the larger purpose of impacting international relations among countries. They help countries in developing a bond with other countries and also help them in fulfilling political motives. The purpose of this article is to analyse the significance of international sporting events and their impact on international relations between countries.

JURIDICAL-NORMATIVE REVIEW OF THE DESIGNATION OF ARMED CRIMINAL GROUPS (KKB) IN PAPUA AS TERRORIST GROUPS

There are differences of opinion among various groups after the stipulation of the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) in Papua as a terrorist group/organization. KKB has been identified with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB-OPM), which is one of the armed separatist movements in Papua. The determination based on armed violence carried out by the KKB has political, ideological, and security motives which are elements in the crime of terrorism. In the context of criminal law reform, the drafters of the Criminal Code separate criminal acts of terrorism and treason in different forms and concepts. Separately, they are categorized as special crimes and crimes against state security. By using the normative juridical method, the authors conclude that the determination of the KKB as a terrorist group/organization is the right policy of the Indonesian government. Based on the three motives above, the KKB can now be categorized as an ethnic-nationalist separatist terrorism group.

Social network analysis of Twitter data from Pakistan during COVID-19

PurposeThe use of social media has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media platforms provide opportunities to share news, ideas and personal stories. Twitter is used by citizens in Pakistan to respond and comment on emerging news stories and events. However, it is not known whether Twitter played a positive or negative role in spreading updates and preventive messages during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to analyse content from Twitter during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachNodeXL was used to retrieve data using the keyword وائرس کورونا (written in Urdu and which translates to Coronavirus). The first data set (Case Study 1) was based on 10,284 Twitter users from the end of March. The second data set (Case Study 2) was based on 10,644 Twitter users from the start of April. The theoretical lens of effective message framing was used to classify the most retweeted content on Twitter.FindingsTwitter was used for personal and professional projections and included certain tweets included political motives even during the unfolding health crisis. There appeared to be very few successful attempts to use Twitter as a tool for health awareness and risk communication. The empirical findings indicate that the most retweeted messages were gain-framed and can be classified as personal, informative and political in nature.Originality/valueThe present study provides insights likely to be of interest to researchers, health organizations, citizens, government and politicians that are interested in making more effective use of social media for the purposes of health promotion. The authors also provide novel insights into the key topics of discussions, websites and hashtags used by Pakistani Twitter users during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Uncovering motives and rivalry of China-Australia amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pacific region

The rivalry between China and Australia in the Pacific region shows high tension. This rivalry has increasingly intense in the form of providing assistance to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, where both countries have various motives of interest by providing the assistance. This article aims to describe the economic and political motives of China and Australia in order to provide assistance in handling COVID-19 to countries in the Pacific region. This article used a descriptive method by collecting several sources from books, journals, official documents, and scientific articles on the internet. It finds that China and Australia have economic and political-security motives from the assistance provided to countries in the Pacific region. The large natural resources in the Pacific region and its transformation into a world maritime trade route become the economic motives. The political motives for China are the principle of “One China” and a “Good Image/Perception” for China, while the political motive for Australia is strengthening Australia’s solidarity in the Pacific region. This article concludes that China’s presence in the Pacific region, which includes assistance in combatting COVID-19 and other concerns, puts China a threat to Australia, making the rivalry between the two countries is no longer inevitable.

Subnational borrowing and bailouts: When the federal government looks at the votes (differently) and its borrowing matters

AbstractSometimes it is difficult to find a rationale for episodes of bailouts in which the political motivations of the federal government are not clear cut. In other cases, the soft‐budget constraint of subnational governments (SNGs) seems to be based on unlimited federal resources. This paper aims to shed some light on both issues taking as a reference the workhorse model developed by Goodspeed. The principal change in its basic assumptions lies in allowing the federal government to borrow to finance its grants to SNGs. The results indicate that the way in which the federal government translates voters' preferences into electoral probabilities is crucial to determine grants. Moreover, the SNGs do not borrow excessively. When the model is extended to consider risk premium spreads in the SNGs debt and the option of transferring part of their borrowing to the upper level, the main outcomes remain.

TRANSFORMATIONS IN A LITTLE PRINCESS MOVIE: AN ADAPTATION ANALYSIS

A Little Princess is a novel written by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1905). This novel has been adapted several times into film, one of which is Alfonso Cuaron's (1995) work produced by Warner Bross Picture. This film was released in 1995 with the same title, "A Little Princess". This article focuses on the motives and ideologies of the adaptation process from novel to film. The changes that occur are a consequence of using media that change from text to screen scenes. This study will compare the intrinsic elements contained in novels and films. This research will also discuss how the transformation from novel adaptation to film and the motives. The adaptation theory by Linda Hutcheon (2006) was used to analyze the motives of adapting novels to films and will be supported by the theory of Mythology by Roland Barthes' (1957) to find ideology. Barthes' semiotic analysis helps the writer find the hidden ideology in the adaptation work, leading us to find the motive of the transformation process. As a result, the adaptation work of Alfonso Cuaron shows the existence of an ideology of feminism and American values. This ideology exists because of the cultural and political motives of the filmmaker to gain benefit from the process of adaptation.
 Keywords : adaptation, ideology, myth, motives.

Активизация ресурса исторической памяти в современной политике

The article contains analysis of the reasons why the resource of the historical memory of civil societies and power elites is beginning to be actively used in the modern foreign and domestic policy of many countries, including Russia. The article describes the positive consequences of such a construction of political motivations, as well as the risks associated with the weakening of the influence of ideologies on political processes. From the author’s point of view, the interest of the subjects of modern politics in using the resource of historical memory is due to the distrust of citizens and elites to the motivational potential of ideologies growing in the modern world and in Russia. It is also caused by the desire to increase the “human capital” of democratic politics and reserve advantages for the national state in controlling the policy of implementing national interests. At the same time, the author argues, the active motivation of politics, both internal and external, by the arguments of historical memory can generate no less risks for its progress today than those that were generated by the dominance of “classical” ideologies in it.

The Bard goes to Bollywood: Hamlet and Haider between mirrors

Este artigo discute o filme indiano Haider (2014), de Vishal Bhardwaj, que é uma adaptação da peça Hamlet (1604-5/2016), de William Shakespeare, e do romance Curfewed Night (2008), de Basharat Peer. Haider torna as lutas políticas da Caxemira na década de 1990 um espelho para os conflitos presentes no Hamlet elisabetano. Buscamos identificar na obra de Bhardwaj algumas das motivações políticas, culturais e estéticas que podem estar intrinsecamente relacionadas à reescrita indiana. Ao traçar alguns dos marcos culturais e das mudanças narrativas entre a peça e o filme, nossa análise tenta enfatizar que os contextos sociais e culturais, além dos aspectos linguísticos-textuais, são essenciais na criação das reescritas.

The Technopolitics of Mapping Dar es Salaam: An examination of the technological and political motivations of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team

Mapping has long formed a key part of development work, from recording household surveys, participatory mapping exercises, and PRA projects. Now though the sector is full of new actors- mapping and tech companies as well as NGOs- monitoring through drones and satellite images, alongside employing more traditional methods. Many of these new players were born from NGOs and companies who started as ‘crisis mappers. Short-term ‘crisis mapping’ projects have become a regular part of humanitarian response following a disaster. The short-term nature of such actions, and the need for stable employment/profits, has led to an increasing trend for the same organizations and companies to either remain on the ground producing maps or to move into new areas as part of a pre-emptive mapping practice, inserting themselves into the wider international development ecosystem. This research, centered on Tanzania, examines how HOTOSM has attempted to pivot towards working as a development organization that creates maps for prevention of crisis, but also wider socio-economic outputs. The research used interviews to explore the interplay between technology and micro/macro politics around the mapping of Dar es Salaam. Examining how HOTOSM its role, and how they position their map-making within the context of Dar es Salaam. Findings suggest that HOTOSM is still underdeveloped as an organization and lacks the maturity to create true participatory models of working.

Restricting the advertising of high fat, salt and sugar foods on the Transport for London estate: Process and implementation study

IntroductionOne in five UK children aged 10–11 years live with obesity. They are more likely to continue living with obesity into adulthood and to develop obesity-related chronic health conditions at a younger age. Regulating the marketing of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) foods and beverages has been highlighted as a promising approach to obesity prevention. In 2019, Transport for London implemented restrictions on the advertisement of HFSS products across its network. This paper reports on a process evaluation of the design and implementation of this intervention. MethodsIn 2019–2020, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 stakeholders. Interviews with those responsible for implementation (n = 13) explored stakeholder roles, barriers and facilitators to policy development/implementation and unintended consequences. Interviews with food industry stakeholders (n = 10) explored perceptions and acceptability of the policy, changes to business practice and impact on business. Data were analysed using a general inductive approach. ResultsPractical challenges included limited time between policy announcement and implementation, translating the concept of ‘junk food’ into operational policy, the legal landscape, and reported uneven impacts across industry stakeholders. Political challenges included designing a policy the public views as appropriate, balancing health and financial impacts, and the perceived influence of political motivations. Consultation during policy development and close communication with industry reportedly facilitated implementation, as did the development of an exceptions process that provided a review pathway for HFSS products that might not contribute to children's HFSS consumption. ConclusionsFindings suggest that restricting the outdoor advertisement of HFSS foods and beverages at scale is feasible within a complex policy and business landscape. We outline practical steps that may further facilitate the development and implementation of similar policies and we report on the importance of ensuring such policies are applied in a way that is perceived as reasonable by industry and the public.