Political Opportunity Research Articles

EDUCATION AS A MAJOR CAPITAL AND THE MAIN BASIS FOR THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF THE COUNTRY

Based on the works of philosophers of the ancient world and scientists of our time, the article analyzes the need for the existence of two components of its development in any country, namely human capital and financial and political opportunities. Attention is paid to the fact that intellectual potential is a set of resources that include human intelligence and creative ability, with its characteristic educational and qualification indicators. It is proved that higher education graduates are the intellectual core that forms the market of qualified specialists capable of becoming the economic potential of the country. It is shown that the rational use of this potential, in combination with other scientific achievements of society, contributes to the achievement of a new quality of economic development, raising living standards and preserving the environment for future generations. That is, the level of awareness and education of each individual is the molecule that lays the foundation for consolidating the country's competitive influence in the international market. To implement the above, the need for more active use of public administration in the educational process at all levels is determined, the expediency of applying legislative regulation of the process of interaction between higher education institutions and business structures is investigated, both for the establishment of joint projects and processes of commercialization and reform of education in different countries, including in modern Ukraine, and for achieving positive changes in strategic planning and economic development.

Political PR in International Digital Communications: The Experience of the Eurasian Media Space

Digital media has become an integral part of the political life of citizens, as an increasing number of people around the world use digital media technologies for communication. Digital media contribute to the formation of socio-political factors that raise concerns about the spread of disinformation, information disagreements and political polarization.Aim. To analyze the tools, problems and opportunities of political PR in the context of digitalization of the media space in foreign countries and the EAEU countries.Tasks. To give significant ideas about the concepts of “political public relations” and “political communication”; to identify factors influencing political communication processes; to present international experience in the application of political PR in the context of digitalization of media; to formulate the possibilities for the development of Eurasian integration in the context of digitalization of the media space.Methods. The methodological basis of the scientific research was such modern general scientific research methods as: comparative analysis, statistical and structural-logical methods, content analysis of open sources of information.Results. The paper defines the role and importance of digital media in political PR activities, identifies traditional and modern factors of influence on political activity, as well as problems in the new digital reality. To build political communications with the audience, its impact and increase engagement, political organizations use new media technologies using multimodality. In practice, the digital inequality of the world population deprives a number of people of digital communication, and as a result, the necessary conditions for participation in the political and economic life of the country. The digital divide of the EAEU countries reduces the political communicative impact on citizens’ beliefs in the need to strengthen integration processes. It seems appropriate to introduce consistency in the formation of the Eurasian integration agenda and a single digital information field to increase the political culture of civic engagement in all EAEU member states.Conclusions. With the help of variation of resources, the necessary content is formed to create the necessary audience effect. Indeed, digital media has a number of advantages that have been proven in practice, however, political PR is influenced by the negative side of the development of digital communications — the spread of fake news, most of which cannot be traced to the source. Therefore, the transformation of digital opportunities, the distribution of political resources, the dissemination of political discourse and the structure of political opportunities in the digital age is the most relevant in the modern world. Using the example of the EAEU countries, it is proved that digitalization in the international media space causes the involvement of citizens of different countries in integration, generalization and formation of public support for the state.

Contentious politics in the borderlands: How nonviolence and migrant characteristics affect public attitudes

New political issues and opportunities lead new actors into contentious politics. This article studies one such case: transnational migrants making claims and engaging in collective action when traversing state borders. As global migration flows and accompanying political backlash has grown since the mid-2010s, borders have increasingly become sites of contention between groups of migrants seeking entry and state agents attempting to refuse it. Media coverage and elite discourse also has focused on contentious border crossings, with implications for public attitudes toward migration. In this setting, public attitudes toward migrants should vary based on the migrants’ tactics and characteristics. We expect migrants engaging in nonviolent resistance to security forces will win more public support than those engaging in violence. Migrant characteristics – claims or motives for migration and ethnic identity – should also affect support. Survey experiments in the United States and Mexico containing fictionalized vignettes of a contentious event at the countries’ shared land border show strikingly similar results: migrant nonviolent resistance, compared to violent confrontations, reduces support for deportation and increases beliefs that migrants contribute to society. These effects are consistent across party lines and border proximity. Neither migrants’ claims nor migrants’ ethnic identity affect public support in the context of a contentious event.

(Cautiously) Embracing pro-Palestinian activism in Singapore: civil society in illiberal regimes

ABSTRACT This paper explores the rise of pro-Palestine activism in Singapore. In illiberal regimes like the city–state, the political opportunities for activists to assert themselves are limited, though not non-existent. It is thus instructive to witness how the new surge of pro-Palestine activism in the country, and indeed, worldwide, has been dealt with by the government. I make the following claims. First, while the overall thrusts of Singapore’s foreign and domestic policies remain the same with regard to the Israel–Palestine conflict, especially on Singapore’s special relationship with Israel, the People’s Action Party (PAP) government has given clear concessions to the pro-Palestinian camp. Second, this balancing act is done with domestic electoral and political goals in mind. The issue has special resonance among younger Singaporeans and the Muslim community, and the government is well-aware of that. Politically, if not dealt with properly, the matter could also be a potential racial-religious fault-line, which is why political sophistication was needed to appease the various sides in society. The implication is that even in less democratic polities like Singapore, activists can make significant gains in the realm of both public opinion and policy. This study is situated within the literature on civil society-state relations.

The Evolution and Challenges of Women Legislators in Bihar: A Historical Analysis

This paper explores the role of women legislators in Bihar, India, from the first general election in 1952 to the present. It examines how women’s participation in the state assembly has changed over time and the challenges they have faced. In the early years, women had very limited representation in Bihar’s politics, mainly due to patriarchal norms, caste discrimination, and a lack of political opportunities. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments in the 1990s, which introduced reservations for women in local governance, helped increase their participation, particularly at the grassroots level. However, at the state level, progress has been slow. As of 2020, women held only 10.7% of seats in the Bihar Legislative Assembly. Despite these challenges, women legislators have made important contributions, especially in areas like education, healthcare, and social welfare. This study also highlights barriers such as caste and gender bias, financial limitations, and a lack of support from political parties. Finally, the paper suggests policy changes, such as stronger reservation enforcement and more support for women candidates, to improve women’s representation in Bihar. Women in politics, Bihar, Political representation, Gender inequality

Navigating the Secular Landscape: Religious Discourse on Transgender Rights in the United Kingdom

Transgender people face high rates of discrimination and health problems yet supportive policy measures are often opposed, especially by religious organisations adhering to cis-normative theologies. Scholars exploring the links between religion and transgender issues have examined a number of themes, but the way religious actors discursively frame transgender issues remains under-researched. This article contributes to work in this area by using the concept of political opportunity structures to examine the discourse of religious groups on the 2022 Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill. The study shows that arguments were typically framed in secular terms, drawing on the epistemic authority of science and a language of individual rights. Supporting groups used arguments designed to highlight the difficulties that transgender people face. Oppositional groups used themes based on biological essentialism, concern for the well-being of trans people, the risks to cisgendered women and warnings about the negative impact on society and religious freedoms.

Emissions from building and construction can be halved with current technologies and practices

Emissions from building and construction can be halved with current technologies and practices Filip Johnsson and Ida Karlsson from Chalmers University of Technology argue that building and construction emissions can be halved with current technologies and practices in place. The Mistra Carbon Exit programme identifies and analyses the technical, economic and political opportunities and challenges for Sweden to reach the target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. The programme is multidisciplinary, addressing the technical, economic and political challenges associated with this transition. The programme takes the novel approach of focusing on supply chains – from the input of raw materials, through primary and secondary activities, to the final products and services demanded by the end-users.

To Praise or Pressure? Patterns of Social Media Advocacy in Times of COVID-19

This article explores how interest groups harness social media as a tool for either praising or pressuring their government. On one hand, social media provides an ideal platform for exerting external pressure on the government, enabling outreach to a wide range of citizens, journalists, and supporters. On the other hand, it offers interest groups the opportunity to support their allies and applaud government policies, fostering reciprocal trust and strengthening mutually beneficial long-term relationships with policymakers. The article argues that the positioning of interest groups on social media is driven by the political and policy opportunity structures in which they operate. Empirically, the article relies on an analysis of 3,897 hand-coded X-posts from prominent hospitality associations in nine Western democracies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings demonstrate that interest groups tend to employ pressure tactics when real-world conditions are advantageous to their cause, while turning to praise when favorable government policies are adopted.

Testing the Relationship Between Local Context and Immigrant-Serving Nonprofit Strategies

Abstract Studies at the nexus of immigration, organizations, and migrant mobilizations find that the strategies that immigrant-serving nonprofit organizations (INOs) employ differ in cities with disparate levels of immigrant inclusion. Yet studies yield mixed results abound other shortcomings in the literature. This study draws from disparate literatures and theoretical frameworks to assemble an understanding on the interrelations between local context and strategies. I investigate the following questions: how does the level of citizenry inclusion impact the strategies employed by INOs, and do more inclusive cities facilitate or constrain contentious advocacy? I draw from a national sample of INOs to test the empirical relationship. The results have implications for political opportunity theory and future lines of research drawing from this framework. Research, nonprofit practice, and policy implications are discussed.

The international politics of development for LGBT+ inclusion: how the UK’s Johnson government used crisis as a political opportunity

The international politics of development for LGBT+ inclusion: how the UK’s Johnson government used crisis as a political opportunity

The Instrumentalization of Public Health Issues for Propaganda by the Far-Right.

Political opportunism of the far-right threatens the efficacy of public health policies and political stability in general. In this commentary, we outline some of the ways that the European far-right has misused public health concerns as propaganda tools. This is a significant threat to the goals of making health and science more inclusive, and we recommend some policies for mitigating the racist effect of the far-right. Notably, we recommend (a) transparency in health policies and robust implementation of the rule of law, (b) the use of operative public values and human rights in health policy making, and (c) investment in decolonizing mindsets which may be corrosive of health policies.

Federalism and National Integration in Nigeria: A Study of Selected States in South-South, Nigeria

Abstract : Nigeria as a multi ethnic nationalities country is faced with tremendous task of integrating a country that is deeply depleted by mirage of problems, including among others ethno-religious and cultural crises and the constitutional imperfection. Regrettably, the manner the country practices federalism has resulted to the country's inability to foster or promote national integration, and unity in diversity. The main objective of the study was to investigate the role of federalism in promoting national integration in Nigeria. Four states comprising of AkwaIbom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers in south south, Nigeria were selected for the study. To achieve this objective, survey correlation/research design was adopted for the study and a sample size of 384 was drawn from the population of 20,787,224, using purposive and systematic sampling techniques respectively. Data were selected using researchers developed questionnaire titled Federalism and National Integration Questionnaire (FNIQ) the instrument was administered and retrieved by the researchers with the help of two research assistants. Three research questions and three hypotheses were formulated for the study. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used in testing the hypotheses at 0.5 level of significance. Three null hypotheses of the study were rejected leading to the decision to accept the alternative hypotheses. It was concluded that there was significant relationship between ethnicity, supremacy of power of having, and the Federal Constitution and the national integration in south south Nigeria. It was recommended among others, that, to foster possible breakup by the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, government should device a federal principle through accommodation, consultation, negotiation and inclusion, instead of exclusion and denial of their rights. The sharing of political offices and opportunities should be equitable and based on the spirit of federal character principle and true federalism.

Environmental Activism in Ukraine: Everyday Concerns as Reasons for Civic Mobilization

ABSTRACT Based on the results of a representative survey and 30 semi-structured interviews with environmental CSO leaders, we argue that citizens in Ukraine are more likely to participate in public mobilization efforts when they relate to unmet day-to-day problems such as environmental protection. Despite the relatively weak professionalization of many environmental organizations and weak citizen involvement, environmental activism has been strengthened in recent decades by growing awareness of its importance and potential to bring desirable changes, especially locally. This problem-based research asks how civic potential to address everyday problems by citizens themselves and the evolving political opportunity structure including the new civil society development strategy and decentralization reform impact environmental activism and the condition of civil society in Ukraine. Our findings demonstrate that environmental and animal protection have a particularly strong impact on civic activism, which has several important public and social functions from service providing and raising awareness to advocacy. Yet this activism to be sustained requires supportive and collaborative relationship between civil society actors and the state.

Far-right cooperation: Gender, political networks, and the cordon sanitaire in the European Parliament

Even as the far-right parties of Western Europe have made broad electoral gains, mainstream parties continue to enact a cordon sanitaire, effectively curtailing their legislative impact. Any potential ability of women far-right politicians to cooperate across party lines would open up important political opportunities not available for them within the far right. This article seeks to address the following question: are women of the far right able to cooperate with members of other political parties in ways that their men colleagues cannot? Using a network analysis of motion co-authorship across three sessions of the European Parliament, I find that there is a double marginalization of far-right women politicians – as women in far-right politics, and as far-right politicians in the European Parliament – which results in women politicians who lack influence within their parties, and within the European Parliament more broadly.

De las políticas de mano dura a la política del estado de excepción en El Salvador

This article analyzes the process of deterioration of democracy in El Salvador, in the context of the exceptional regime imposed by the government of Nayib Bukele. Paradoxically, this is one of the governments in the post-conflict period with the highest level of citizen approval, according to public opinion polls (IUDOP, 2023). The study is based on historiographic research that analyzes the main impacts of the failure of the security policies of the ARENA and FMLN governments on democratic institutionality, combined with the statistical analysis of a national survey on the level of approval or rejection of the Bukele government and its security strategy, materialized in the emergency regime. It shows that the confluence of the unsatisfied security demands of the citizenry in the face of the problem of violence and the failure of the political opportunism of the ARENA and FMLN governments in security matters have contributed to the imposition of the exception regime by the government of Nayib Bukele, whose reduction in the homicide rate and victimization have generated a majority favorable opinion among the citizenry. This despite the risks posed by the authoritarian drift of the current regime and the restriction of certain democratic attributes in the relationship between the State and society. In summary, this research invites us to think about the complex connection between authoritarian populism, political culture and democracy. ECA Estudios Centroamericanos, Vol. 79, No. 774, 2024: 13-46.

The pitfalls of smart urban infrastructure during a period of unrest: Networked dissent against smart lampposts in Hong Kong

While the notion of the smart city has grown in popularity, the backlash against smart urban infrastructure in the context of changing state-public relations has seldom been examined. This article draws on the case of Hong Kong’s smart lampposts to analyse the emergence of networked dissent against smart urban infrastructure during a period of unrest. Deriving insights from critical data studies, dissentworks theory, and relevant work on networked activism, the article illustrates how a smart urban infrastructure was turned into both a source and a target of popular dissent through digital mediation and politicisation. Drawing on an interpretive analysis of qualitative data collected from multiple digital platforms, the analysis explicates the citizen curation of socio-technic counter-imaginaries that constituted a consent of dissent in the digital realm, and the creation and diffusion of networked action repertoires in response to a changing political opportunity structure. In addition to explicating the words and deeds employed in this networked dissent, this article also discusses the technopolitical repercussions of this dissent for the city’s later attempts at data-based urban governance, which have unfolded at the intersections of urban techno-politics and local contentious politics. Moving beyond the common focus on neoliberal governmentality and its limits, this article reveals the underexplored pitfalls of smart urban infrastructure vis-à-vis the shifting socio-political landscape of Hong Kong, particularly in the digital age.

Local councils as movement resource: Post-anti-extradition movement district councils in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT This paper studies the short-lived reform experiment on grassroot democracy by the District Councils of Hong Kong in 2020–2021, following the landslide victory of candidates who supported the 2019 Anti-Extradition Movement of Hong Kong. It argues that the institutional positions and resources of local elections can serve as movement resources to support social and political movements, promote civic participation and community-building, and strengthen civil society. By a study of meeting documents and in-depth interviews with 50 pro-movement councillors, this paper recounted how movement activists made use of the local councils to support the movement, change funding allocation to counter clientelism, encourage grassroot participation and network with civil society. The window of political opportunity was quickly shut down with the imposition of the National Security Law for Hong Kong, but it showed the possibility of using local councils to further movement causes and grassroot democracy in a much-constrained non-democratic institutional setting.

BEYOND LEGAL OSSIFICATION: THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD AND ENDOGENOUS LEGAL MOBILIZATION

Despite widespread perceptions of the National Labor Relations Act's (NLRA) waning relevance, recent years have witnessed a surge in charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Notably, over the past decade nonunionized workers, not seeking immediate unionization, have increasingly mobilized their Section-7 right to engage in “mutual aid or protection.” Drawing on qualitative interviews and freedom-of-information-act charge data of the NLRB, this study reveals two key findings. First, some regional NLRB officials have strategically redesigned their outreach programs to target “alternative worker organizations” focusing on low-wage workers. Second, these revamped programs correlate with higher numbers of charges brought by nonunionized workers. These findings illuminate the adaptability of the political opportunity structure as officials respond to the NLRA's perceived decline by cultivating new constituencies and elucidating the law's protections for diverse organizing efforts

MOVEMENT OF MOVEMENTS: RUSSIAN ACTIVISM IN EXILE AND THE POROUS POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE

What happens when a social movement must relocate to continue its advocacy? Such a “movement” of movements has been going on—in a partial, fragmented way—since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, raising a host of issues for Russian social movements. Past research has identified several broad trends in Russian civil society prior to the war: enduring, evaporating, and adapting forms of activism. These terms captured, respectively, organizational types that had persisted since the 1990s, those unable to survive, and those that adapted to Russia's increasingly repressive environment. This article examines a new trend in Russian civil society, escaping, in light of the concept of political opportunity structure. Specifically, we find that Russian feminist and environmental activists operating beyond Russia's borders experience a porous political opportunity structure that crosses state boundaries, creating new opportunities for activism as well as constraints.

Shades of presence in post-2011 Tunisia: evolving political positions in feminist and queer activism

ABSTRACT This article rethinks the concept of presence in feminist theory through the empirical study of Tunisian feminist and queer movements after the 2010–11 revolution. Over the past decade, these movements have displayed various forms of mobilisation, revealing different shades of presence/absence. Some strategies focused on gaining visibility within institutions and physical public spaces, while others showed new forms of disembodied, digitally mediated presence/absence. With the recent rise of cyber-authoritarianism, a re-calibration of positions of presence/absence have enriched our understanding of presence. Building on interviews and social media content analysis from 2017 to 2023, the article challenges the widespread notion that physical presence equates to empowerment and absence to disempowerment. It argues that presence and absence are political positions within a spectrum of contention, influenced by political opportunities, and calls for the recognition of multiple, disembodied and hybrid forms of presence/absence.