Political Policy Research Articles

INCONVERTIBILITY LOSS AND MURABAHA: A RECOVERY OPTION FOR ISLAMIC POLITICAL RISK INSURERS

This paper attempts to illustrate the primacy of the Shari’a-compliant murabaha transaction as a means of inconvertibility loss recovery by Islamic political risk insurers. In practical terms, the risk most likely to occur in an underdeveloped Muslim country is the risk of the local currency becoming inconvertible because of a certain action or inaction by the authorities of the host country which is the destination of an export trade transaction, or a foreign direct investment covered under a political risk insurance policy. The political risk insurance (PRI) operator most concerned with the subject of this paper is the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group. Where the PRI operator is established within the auspices of a lending agency which lends in local currency, and provided that the necessary legal arrangements are in place, the PRI’s local currency holdings could be passed on to the lending agency in the host country and the foreign currency equivalent thereof paid over to the PRI operator at its head office. In countries where a lender is not extending local currency financing and a speedy economic recovery is not expected, an attractive alternative for a PRI operator, as the authors argue, is the utilization of the local currency in murabaha transactions. PRI operators’ apprehension about the risk of inconvertibility finds expression in denial of the inconvertibility coverage altogether. Where this is not the case, a PRI operator may impose recovery ceilings, demand the expiry of extended waiting periods, as well as compliance with a variety of other conditions prior to recovery. This paper argues that such measures are self-defeating. A Shari’a-compliant PRI operator is necessarily established to provide coverage against commercial and non-commercial risks in poor Muslim countries. To deny or restrict inconvertibility risk coverage in such countries is unacceptable. Murabaha is a panacea for currency inconvertibility: it is the most popular form of Islamic financing in the world, it is easy to structure, and its profits are almost certainly rewarding. While the risk of non-payment of the price by overseas buyers of Muslim country exports is minimal, risks associated with murabahacould be further minimized by means of export credit insurance coverage by local export promotion agencies.

Agricultural -News Visibility in Indian Newspapers: A Comparative Study

The coverage of agricultural news is of great significance in the Indian economic and social scenario. The present study explores the print visibility of agricultural news in three newspapers in India. Therefore, research was accomplished through a random selection of three national- newspapers, Hindi(one) and English (two), namely Dainik Jagran, The Hindu, and The Hindustan Times. The agricultural news in the three newspapers was collected from December 2020 to November 2021 and categorized into political news, advisories, policy, techno-innovation, entrepreneurship, and environmental. The articles were extracted from E- Papers and print PDFs for practical purposes based on keyword selection. The findings revealed that the agricultural news covered by the newspapers was feeble and under 5 % of the total news content. The total number of agricultural articles found from December 2020 to November 2021 was 6191. However, Dainik Jagran led in print visibility with a yearly average of 4.71 per cent, followed by The Hindustan Times at 4.30 percent and The Hindu at 3.23 percent. The print visibility ranged from 8.0 percent to a maximum, and the minimum was 1.8 percent. It was also found that Agri-political news had maximum visibility in two of the three newspapers (68.3 percent in the Hindu and 33 percent in Dainik Jagran).

Assessment actions for improving railway sector performance using intuitionistic fuzzy-rough multi-criteria decision-making model

The selection and prioritization of appropriate actions to improve the performance of the railway sector pose a common challenge for policymakers and transport planners. This challenge is further complicated by factors such as political power shifts, policy changes, and socio-economic and environmental impacts, introducing various uncertainties. To address this issue, a novel multi-criteria decision-making framework was developed in this study. The framework introduces the weighted geometric Dombi Maclaurin Symmetric Mean operator within an intuitionistic fuzzy environment, enabling the identification of the most appropriate action from nine different alternatives to enhance the performance of railway sector. Moreover, the study makes an additional contribution by combining this approach with an interval rough PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment to determine the weight coefficients of the criteria. To assess the robustness of the proposed methodology, sensitivity analysis and a comparative study were conducted. The findings of the study indicate that “enhancing the governance of the transport sector” emerged as the most appropriate action to improve the performance of the railway sector.

Alternative Media and Nonlinear Mediated Debate: The Case of Variety Streamers

Past research has noted that alternative media often facilitate debate between activists and advocates for political policies. However, such research does not typically address the processes for those debates. In recent years, political influencers have increasingly made debates important content in the alternative media they produce through streaming services. In 2021, I observed a debate between three influencers that took place through YouTube and Twitch. In this research project, I engaged in a qualitative content analysis of key texts, using concepts concerning debate from past political communication research. Specifically, I examined the pre-debate, debate and post-debate stages in order to identify different attacks, acclaims or defences utilised by the influencers. The findings, viewed through the lens of mediated construction of reality described by Couldry and Hepp, demonstrate that those linear stages established in past campaign research do not fully apply to the context of alternative media found on streaming services. Instead, this debate was a nonlinear process in which the “pre-debate” stage was actually the debate.

Author's Response: Indian Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy—Refining Neoclassical Realism

Author's Response: Indian Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy—Refining Neoclassical Realism

Online focus groups as a tool to study policy professionals

Scholars interested in political elites and policy professionals only sporadically rely on focus group methods. In this article, we argue why this is a missed opportunity. Based on our own recent research experience, we suggest three innovations to the focus group method that should make it appealing for political scientists who study professionals active in the policy process. First, focus groups allow for the study of the interactions between political elites in ways other methods cannot. Second, the method can be used for hypothesis testing when focus groups are designed accordingly. Third, the option to conduct focus groups online has major advantages in terms of participant costs, ease of recruitment, and, potentially, research equity. We hope that our suggestions are useful for researchers wanting to build on any one—or all—of these innovations.

Vaccine Diplomacy: How COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution in Latin America Increases Trust in Foreign Governments

abstract: Vaccine distribution in the Global South has created opportunities for vaccine-developing countries to improve their international reputations. Leveraging a panel survey conducted in early 2021, this article evaluates whether vaccine diplomacy affects trust in foreign governments in six Latin American countries. Among vaccinated respondents, trust in the government of the country that they believed developed their vaccine increased relative to trust in the governments of other foreign powers. Furthermore, providing information about the aggregate distribution of vaccines within a respondent's country increased vaccine-eligible respondents' trust in the governments of countries from which more vaccines were delivered. In each case, greater trust principally reflects updated perceptions of a common good motivation. The article's empirical findings suggest that vaccine distribution—especially by China, but for other vaccine-developing countries as well—can cultivate favorable international public opinion. These favorable opinions may in turn facilitate great powers' economic, political, or military foreign policy goals.

The Great Player of Politics in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan: An Islamic Perspective on the Role of Mr. Asif Ali Zardari

This research provides an Islamic perspective on the political journey of Asif Ali Zardari in Pakistan, emphasizing his role within the Islamic framework of governance. Zardari, known for his strategic political maneuvers, rose to prominence following his marriage to Benazir Bhutto and later as the 11th President of Pakistan (2008-2013). His tenure, marked by challenges and controversies, including corruption allegations, significantly impacted Pakistan's socio-political fabric. This study examines Zardari's political path, leadership style, and policies, considering the Islamic principles of justice, accountability, and governance.

SEJARAH ISLAM DAN POLITIK DI PAKISTAN

This research aims to explain the history of Islam and politics in Pakistan. This type of research is descriptive using a qualitative approach. The main sources for this research are books and literature on the history of Islam and political policies in Pakistan. The source analysis process begins by reviewing data obtained from various sources or information. Data collected through documentation and literature study after being read, studied and then analyzed. Next, analyze the text of the document used as a reference in the research, so that keywords and flow are found that explain what is behind a political policy phenomenon. So that in accordance with the objectives to be achieved in this research, the analysis method used is qualitative using relevant sources for the analysis process. Political dynamics in Pakistan are quite high because there were upheavals, crises and military coups that often occurred in the first few years of its formation and in the following years. The incompetence of leaders in managing government has resulted in riots in various regions and ever-changing political movements. During the leadership of Ali Butto, the government system was changed from Islamic to secular, resulting in people being disappointed with Butto's leadership and ending in a military coup. In the subsequent dynamics of Zia Ul-Haq's government, there was development of all aspects of life which could improve government and change to an Islamic ideological system.

The relationship of economic growth, income inequality and poverty: a study on developing countries

This study aims to examine the relationship between income inequality, poverty and economic growth in selected eight developing countries determined by the World Bank's Atlas method between 2000 and 2020. The problem of the study is the increasing and deepening income inequality and poverty in developing countries in recent years. In this context, panel data analysis was chosen to reveal the relationship between income inequality, poverty and economic growth in developing countries, and a wide data set such as gini coefficient, head number index, per capita national income, democracy index, human development index and misery index was used. Income inequality, poverty and economic growth were analyzed with three different models) and compared with each other. Considering the results of the analysis, the Durbin-Hausman cointegration test was conducted to reveal the existence of a long-term relationship between the variables, and the existence of a long-term cointegration relationship between the variables was determined. According to the results of Dumitrescu Hurlin causality test, a bidirectional causality relationship was found between the variables. According to panel regression analysis, it was determined that while per capita increases in national income increase income inequalities, increases in democracy and per capita income reduce poverty, and increases in democracy index increase per capita income. According to the results, various social, economic and political policies have been proposed to reduce income inequality and poverty and increase economic growth.

Overview of Nepalese Politics from a Managerialism Perspective

This study examines how managerial practices affect political decision-making and policy execution in Nepal from a managerial perspective. The research aims at the main characteristics of Nepal's political system and how effectively management strategies work to encourage good governance. The study argues that in order to foster effective leadership, boost accountability, and shape the country's future, Nepali political leaders can gain from using managerial principles including servant leadership, effective delegation, teamwork, openness, communication, and transparency. Through a literature analysis, the study identifies and evaluates significant programs and strategies employed to solve political concerns in Nepal. The study employs a qualitative research design that includes a thorough examination of secondary sources such as academic articles, government reports, international agencies and NGO reports. This article explores management strategies that support effective governance in Nepal. It looks at how managerial practices influence political judgments and the implementation of policies The researcher further recommends continuing to implement managerialism tactics like PBB and PPPs and accommodating practices like RBM & e-governance to boost managerialism in the political system. One of the study's drawbacks is its limited focus on management viewpoints.

Forecasting crude oil futures using an ensemble model including investor sentiment and attention

PurposeSince crude oil is crucial to the nation's economic growth, crude oil futures are closely related to many other markets. Accurate forecasting can offer investors trustworthy guidance. Numerous studies have begun to consider creating new metrics from social networks to improve forecasting models in light of their rapid development. To improve the forecasting of crude oil futures, the authors suggest an integrated model that combines investor sentiment and attention.Design/methodology/approachThis study first creates investor attention variables using Baidu search indices and investor sentiment variables for medium sulfur crude oil (SC) futures by collecting comments from financial forums. The authors feed the price series into the NeuralProphet model to generate a new feature set using the output subsequences and predicted values. Next, the authors use the CatBoost model to extract additional features from the new feature set and perform multi-step predictions. Finally, the authors explain the model using Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) values and examine the direction and magnitude of each variable's influence.FindingsThe authors conduct forecasting experiments for SC futures one, two and three days in advance to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model. The empirical results show that the model is a reliable and effective tool for predicting, and including investor sentiment and attention variables in the model enhances its predictive power.Research limitations/implicationsThe data analyzed in this paper span from 2018 through 2022, and the forecast objectives only apply to futures prices for those years. If the authors alter the sample data, the experimental process must be repeated, and the outcomes will differ. Additionally, because crude oil has financial characteristics, its price is influenced by various external circumstances, including global epidemics and adjustments in political and economic policies. Future studies could consider these factors in models to forecast crude oil futures price volatility.Practical implicationsIn conclusion, the proposed integrated model provides effective multistep forecasts for SC futures, and the findings will offer crucial practical guidance for policymakers and investors. This study also considers other relevant markets, such as stocks and exchange rates, to increase the forecast precision of the model. Furthermore, the model proposed in this paper, which combines investor factors, confirms the predictive ability of investor sentiment. Regulators can utilize these findings to improve their ability to predict market risks based on changes in investor sentiment. Future research can improve predictive effectiveness by considering the inclusion of macro events and further model optimization. Additionally, this model can be adapted to forecast other financial markets, such as stock markets and other futures products.Originality/valueThe authors propose a novel integrated model that considers investor factors to enhance the accuracy of crude oil futures forecasting. This method can also be applied to other financial markets to improve their forecasting efficiency.

A step towards ecological sustainability: How do productive capacity, green financial policy, and uncertainty matter? Focusing on different income level countries

Different from previous studies which examine the relationship between either separate parameters or drivers of economic development and ecological sustainability, this study employs the productive capacity index to provide a holistic understanding into the ecological impacts of improving the productive sources of a nation. It also considers the increasingly importance role of green financial policy in lessening the ecological degradation under an uncertain economic and political environment. We adopt advanced panel quantile regression to three samples of 34 high-, 17 upper middle-, and 17 lower middle-income countries from 2000 to 2018. The empirical results show the existence of N-shaped, inverted N-shaped, and U-shaped relationship between productive capacity and ecological footprint in high-, upper middle-, and lower middle-income country groups, respectively. Meanwhile, green financial policy is found to generate beneficial effect on the quality of the ecology in all panels. Uncertainty reduces ecological degradation in high- and upper middle-income countries but intensifies ecological ruin in lower middle-income countries. This complicated relationship between variables of interest warns policymakers to adopt suitable economic and political policies that can deal with both severe ecological degradation and raising uncertainty. Finding the presence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) at different levels of development and the presence of the turnaround points within the sample ranges also validates the EKC hypothesis to be a policy benchmarking tool for developing effective environmental policies at the global level. This study outcomes have been utilized to develop Sustainable Development Goals oriented policy framework.

Examining the perceived values toward regional factions and its impacts on the local election: The reasoned action approach perspective

The regional faction, which is frequently perceived as a threat to the democratic system, has received limited attention regarding its representation of values in contemporary society and influence on voting behavior. This study employs the reasoned action approach (RAA) to investigate the influence of attitudes and subjective norms on electoral intention, incorporating perceived utilitarian and hedonic values toward the regional faction. The study hypothesizes that these value perceptions, in conjunction with the theoretical predictors, will collectively influence the voting intentions of electors. Two months before the local elections in Taiwan in 2022, 469 respondents provided information. Using SPSS 25.0, descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Principal findings indicate that instrumental attitude, affective attitude, and descriptive norm positively influence electoral intention, whereas injunctive norm negatively influences electoral intention. Moreover, hedonic values moderate the relationships between affective attitude and intention and between injunctive norm and intention. Likewise, utilitarian values moderate the relationship between injunctive norms and intent. These findings highlight the significance of voters' perceptions of the regional faction's value, casting light on its impact on electoral intent. During the investigated local election in Taiwan, the interaction of attitudes, norms, and values emerged as a crucial factor influencing voter behavior. These findings enhance our comprehension of the intricate decision-making processes within the electoral context and provide valuable insights for political campaigns and policy considerations.

Closing the information gap in competitive authoritarian regimes? The effect of voting advice applications

Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) are used in elections across the globe and offer voters nonpartisan information about political parties, candidates, and policy issues. Several studies suggest that VAAs affect vote choice as well as political knowledge. However, despite the vast literature on VAAs, online voting advice technology's impact on authoritarian regimes, where the cost of accessing expert advice is much higher than in democracies, remains unknown. In this study, we present results from a randomized experiment that evaluates the effects of a VAA intervention on voter attitudes and choices in Turkey—a typical competitive authoritarian regime where elections take place, but the rules are skewed in favor of the regime. We embedded a VAA intervention in a face-to-face panel survey conducted before and after the 2019 local elections in Istanbul, Turkey. Using a representative sample of Turkish adults in Istanbul, we randomly assigned half of the participants to our VAA intervention consisting of exposure to their political standing on a two-dimensional map of political candidates. Our analysis demonstrates that the VAA intervention influences candidate choice, mainly among centrist voters. However, these effects are short-term and dissipate within two months.

Discourse-Based Teaching in English Language Teaching at Islamic Universities in Borneo: A Critical Discourse Analysis Perspective

This critical discourse analysis aims to uncover what ideologies emerge in English language teaching at Islamic universities in Borneo, explain how discourse-based teaching is implemented, and why discourse-based teaching is necessary for English language teaching at Islamic universities in Borneo. This is qualitative phenomenological research using Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis model. The primary data sources for this research are English language lecturers and college students at universities in Borneo, namely UIN Sultan Aji Muhammad Idris Samarinda, UIN Antasari Banjarmasin, IAIN Palangkaraya, and IAIN Pontianak. The researcher used several research instruments to collect the data: interviews, questionnaires, observations, and documentation. The data analysis technique used in this research is the interactive model from Miles et al. with the stages of data collection, data condensation, data display, and conclusion. This research concludes that English language education at Islamic universities in Borneo has an ideology of character development, influenced by several factors such as the shift in character values, the spirit of nationalism, and political policies of the Ministry of Religion to maintain national unity with a religious moderation agenda, and the vision to develop graduates who have solid Islamic character. In addition, English language education aims not only to master English language skills but also to compete in the era of information technology with critical thinking skills. Therefore, English language teaching at Islamic universities in Borneo is based on a discourse approach, from lesson planning and teaching implementation to teaching evaluation. This research implies that English language teaching should not only focus on English language skills or TEFL content but also on achieving learning outcomes from the goals of the study program, students’ needs, and the roles of lecturers as educators of Islamic and national character values.

The ‘Second U-Turn’: Domestic Politics and Foreign Economic Policy Choice in Ghana

Abstract After months of grandstanding amidst an economic crisis that has seen prices of basic goods skyrocketed, growing unsustainable public debt levels and the value of the local currency plummeting, the Government of Ghana made a U-turn on its earlier decision of not seeking an IMF bailout and announced on 1st July 2022, the intention to seek an IMF bailout. This paper tries to understand the initial government resistance to an IMF bailout. Using the qualitative research approach and analyzing speeches of political actors, the study makes the case that domestic politics was the main reason for the governments initial resistance to engaging the IMF. An IMF programme would be politically self-defeating for the government and provide a political tool for the opposition in the 2024 election since a similar deal in 2015 was portrayed as evidence of government failure. On the evidence of the current IMF bailout decision, the paper concludes that governments have political interest in making foreign economic policy choices in Ghana. Choices that may not enhance electoral chances are likely to be avoided in favour of those that enhance it. To derive the best outcome from foreign economic policy choices requires building national consensus, which would help to avoid adverse outcomes that may be occasioned by policy choices that enhance a political actor’s electoral chances at the expense of the long-term interest of the state.

Ethical considerations of ‘going public’: public and media co-dissemination of research findings with refugees

ABSTRACT Collaborative dissemination of research findings in the public and media spheres has the potential to reach large audiences, enhance forced migrants’ political participation and impact policies. ‘Going public’ further requires both researchers and forced migrants to engage visibly in a sphere that is often unexpected and less familiar to them. This paper discusses the methodological and ethical challenges and possibilities surrounding joint dissemination, drawing on a case study of public and media co-dissemination that occurred as part of an anti-deportation public campaign. In 2018, the Israeli government initiated a forced deportation plan aimed at deporting refugees to Rwanda. The authors had previously conducted research exploring the journeys of refugees who ‘voluntarily’ departed Israel to Rwanda, revealing that the deportees were pressured to embark on life-threatening journeys, eventually gaining protection in Europe. The findings were collaboratively shared through various activities, such as media interviews, public events, advocacy and cooperation with civil society organisations in Israel and globally. This paper discusses the three main aspects derived from our experiences: power imbalances and divisions of roles, consent as a process, and re-traumatisation and agency. Finally, ethical and practical recommendations for mitigating some of these challenges are offered.

Influence of Statist Inter-ethnic Political Leadership Transformation in the Management of Inter-ethnic Conflicts in Bungoma County, Kenya

The study interrogates the influence of statist inter-ethnic political leadership transformation in the management of inter-ethnic conflicts in Bungoma County. In Kenya, specifically in Bungoma, the 1963 conflict in the region acquired a political and national outlook. In 1992, despite 29 years of independence, the violence was unparalleled. The specific objective of the study was to examine the effect of statist inter-ethnic political leadership integration in the management of inter-ethnic conflict in Bungoma County. The study followed a conceptual framework that was based on Lederach's Conflict Transformation and Gultang's Conflict Triangle theories. A descriptive research design was adopted. By using the Yamane 1967 formula, a sample size of 400 participants was derived from the 1375065 population. Participants were distributed randomly, purposefully, and proportionately. Questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions (FGD), and document analysis were used to collect primary and secondary data, respectively. Microsoft Excel performed both quantitative and qualitative data analysis through thematization, corroboration, and verification. The findings were: Unlike inter-marriage (23%), culture (20%), and trade (15%), 42% of respondents concurred that elders were key in influencing inter-ethnic co-existence. However, colonisation alienated them and made them distinct in their roles. Independent statist political leadership transformation mutated from precipitating inter-ethnic inclined: corruption and greed 17%, political repression 16%, political participation in government 15%, punishment 14%, torture 13%, and demotion 12% to inter-ethnic integration of glimpses of diversity policies into political leadership. Even though peacebuilding was going on, the biggest problems that still needed to be solved were the enforcement of inter-ethnic political leadership integration policies in Bungoma County, the translation of the inter-ethnic political leadership transformation initiative into documentary and creative art, and the separation of administrative and political boundaries from ethnic boundaries.

Strongman politics and China's foreign policy actors: maritime assertiveness under Xi Jinping

Abstract Since Xi Jinping's ascension to power, China's foreign policy behaviour—including in the maritime domain—has become increasingly assertive. While a number of systemic, domestic and individual-level factors have contributed to China's more muscular approach, adequately understanding the dramatic intensification of its assertiveness under Xi requires a careful examination of the foreign policy implications of his strongman rule. This article contributes to such studies by examining how Xi's efforts to consolidate power, particularly through nationalistic appeals and an anti-corruption campaign, have mobilized China's foreign policy actors. I argue that the political environment that Xi has fostered shapes the career incentives of individual actors, motivating them to demonstrate their loyalty through displays of assertiveness. Drawing on a case-study of China's maritime actors, with a focus on their behaviour in the South China Sea, I show how Xi's consolidation of power has elevated the stakes of zealously showcasing support for his call to ‘resolutely safeguard’ China's sovereignty claims. I find that Xi's emphasis on demonstrations of loyalty often comes at the cost of other interests, such as reassuring potential rivals, suggesting that the current political environment risks pushing foreign policy in an even more assertive direction than perhaps intended.