Political Pressure Research Articles

Hacking Threat in Arab Cyberspace: How al-Hākirz al-Muslimūn Construct Narratives against Zionists and Anti-Islamists

The attack on the al-Aqsa mosque on April 6, 2023, and the burning of the Qur'an on January 21, 2023, have sparked a reaction from hacker group who call themselvesالهاكرز المسلمون (al-hākirz al-muslimūn) 'Muslim Hackers' (MH). Through the “Hacker News” YouTube channel, they threaten to hack several strategic and vital facilities of the Israeli and Swedish governments. About this phenomenon, this study aims to explain the construction of their threat narratives to those whom they call Zionists and anti-Islamists. Explanative qualitative research was conducted to answer research questions consisting of the formulation of themes, sequence of the scheme, and micro linguistic elements. Research data in the form of 2 videos of MH hacking threats were collected through manual transcription, reading and observation, printing, selection, and classification. Meanwhile, data analysis through the stages of reduction, presentation, analysis, interpretation, and conclusion was carried out by referring to Teun van Dijk's discourse structure model as an analytical framework. The results of the thematic structure analysis show that the theme highlights the actions as a response to attacks on Muslims and Islamic sacred symbols. MH asserts their identity as Muslims explicitly on the theme to attract the audience's attention. In line with these findings, the results of the schematic structure analysis show that the MH threat narrative scheme consists of the cause of threat, form of threat, detail of threat, and impact of threat. Microstructure analysis shows that MH uses clause structures, meaning intentions, and speech acts to launch psychological warfare against Zionists and anti-Islamists. Through this narrative, MH spreads fear with the target of putting political pressure on the Israeli and Swedish governments. Observing the increasingly massive and dynamic phenomenon of cyber warfare, it is predicted that MH's hacking threat narratives will often be found in conflicts and political dynamics in various countries.

Politics and Robots

We present empirical evidence at the firm-level regarding the influence of political advancement on robotic adoption. Our analysis indicates that the imperative of political elevation considerably augments the propensity of local enterprises to embrace robotic technologies. The robustness of our conclusions remains consistent across varied estimation specifications. Moreover, the implications are particularly accentuated for enterprises situated in regions characterized by heightened political pressures and diminished labor-induced constraints, as well as for firms poised to derive substantial advantages from robotic assimilation. In aggregate, our research elucidates the underlying motivations for robotic adoption within the context of local political intervention.

The legalization of cannabis may result in increased indoor exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol

Cannabis is a genus of plants in the Cannabaceae family that contains tetrahydrocannabinolic acid. When heated or burned, the acid decarboxylates to form tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Its (-)-trans-Δ9-THC isomer is a psychoactive substance that has been used as a drug for centuries. In most countries, both the private sale of cannabis products and their use for non-medical purposes are still prohibited by law. However, for some time now there has been societal and political pressure to at least partially legalize cannabis products. It can be expected that such a measure will lead to a significant increase in the consumption of cannabis. However, this also increases the possibility of involuntary passive exposure to THC and contamination of the indoor environment. In indoor sciences, THC is still a largely unknown or underrepresented substance. In this perspective paper, THC will therefore first be presented on the basis of its physical properties. Then, the distribution of THC in different indoor compartments and potential routes of passive exposure are discussed. Finally, an assessment of the future importance of THC for indoor use is made. Previous experience has shown that early monitoring is always advantageous so that preventive and protective measures can be taken quickly if necessary.

Perceptions of the tribal population on grama Sachivalayam (Village secretariat) concept and its services in the tribal areas of Visakhapatnam: An empirical study

The Government of Andhra Pradesh historically brought a new administrative system in Andhra Pradesh on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 02-10-2029. The name of the system is grama sachivalayam in villages and ward sachivalayam in urban areas. A total of 11,158 village secretariats and 3,786 ward secretariats have been established across the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The government of Andhra Pradesh recruited 1.26 lakhs various staff members and 2.8 lakh ward/village volunteers in Andhra Pradesh to run the ward/gram secretariat system. The main aim of the Grama/Ward Sachivalayam is to deliver the Navaratnalu and other state and central government welfare programmes/schemes to the poor and needy population of Andhra Pradesh. It is a new system established four years back. This is a descriptive study. The study applied a multistage sampling method and collected data from 136 tribal households through the structured interview schedule. The study found that the village secretariat system reached the grassroots levels, and agency areas and helped many tribal people living the below poverty line. The people in the tribal areas are fully satisfied with this village secretariat concept and village volunteer concept. They easily access the government welfare and development schemes at their doorsteps with the help of village volunteers. There is a lot of scope for professional social workers to develop a bridge between the government and villagers. Dealing the political pressure is a challenge to the sachivalayam staff in the selection and implementation of schemes.

Electoral Cycles in Macroprudential Regulation

Do politics matter for macroprudential policies? I show that changes in macroprudential regulation exhibit a predictable electoral cycle in the run-up to 221 elections across 58 countries from 2000 through 2014. Policies restricting mortgages and consumer credit are systematically looser before elections, particularly during economic expansions. Consistent with theories of opportunistic political cycles, this pattern is stronger when election outcomes are uncertain, regulators are closely tied to politicians, and institutions are poor. These results suggest that political pressures may limit the ability of regulators to “lean against the wind.” (JEL D72, E32, G01, G21, G28)

Twice Invisible, Twice Clandestine. Football and Lesbianism in Spain During the Years of Democratic Transition (1970–1982)

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the relationship between women’s football and lesbianism during the 1970s in Spain as well as the invisibility characteristics of this group of women in the context of the invisibility of women’s football in this period and in the context of the political transition until 1982. In the repressive context of late Francoism and given the validity until 1978 of laws that expressly persecuted homosexuality, social, cultural, legal, and political pressure had a very important impact on lesbian women who participated in the incipient practice of football in Spain in the 1970s. Some of these players built gay social networks through sports clubs and later started clandestine meetings in bars and private celebrations. The period studied—between 1970 and 1982—coincided with the rebirth of women’s football in Spain and the international emergence of this sport. The research has been based on the use of in-depth interview as a method and historiographical technique that has allowed us to obtain the life stories of nine lesbian or heterosexual women football players in different Spanish cities (who in general have lived and live in a private sexual identity) and two coaches linked to women’s teams. These sources have been expanded and contrasted from others of a documentary nature (specialized press and bibliography) to reconstruct the context studied and contrast the reliability of the information collected. In conclusion, it has been established that, despite the low visibility of women’s football and homosexuality, the legal pressure of the period and the opposition of the public authorities and institutions of the dictatorship, the field of football allowed these women to overcome some of the difficulties in the process of building their identity and discrimination based on sexual orientation. In turn, support networks—especially of teammates—private parties and atmosphere bars, were fundamental to the life experience of young lesbian athletes in the still repressive context of the end of the Franco dictatorship and the first years of the young democratic regime in Spain.

The ABC of history education: a comparison of Australian, British and Canadian approaches to teaching national and First Nations histories

PurposeThis essay engages with scholarship on history as a discipline, curriculum documents and academic and public commentary on the teaching of history in Australian, British and Canadian secondary contexts to better understand the influence of the tension between political pressure and disciplinary practice that drives the history wars in settler-colonial nations, how this plays out in secondary history classrooms and the ramifications this may have on students' democratic dispositions.Design/methodology/approachThis article aims to compare secondary history curricula and pedagogies in Australia, Britain and Canada to better articulate and conceptualise the influence of the “history wars” over the teaching of national histories upon the intended and enacted curriculum and how this contributes to the formation of democratic dispositions within students. A conceptual model, drawing on the curriculum assessment of Porter (2006) and Gross and Terra's definition of “difficult pasts” has been developed and used as the basis for this comparison. This model highlights the competing influences of political pressure upon curriculum creation and disciplinary change shaping pedagogy, and the impact these forces may have upon students' experience.FindingsThe debate around what content students learn, and why, is fraught because it is a conversation about what each nation values and how they construct their own national identity(ies). This is particularly timely when the democratic self-identification of many nations is being challenged. The seditious conspiracy to storm the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, Orban's “illiberal democracy” in Hungary and the neo-Nazis in Melbourne, Australia are examples of the rise of anti-democratic sentiment globally. Thus, new consideration of how we teach national histories and the impact this has on the formation of democratic dispositions and skills is pressing.Originality/valueThe new articulation of a conceptual model for the impact of the history wars on education is an innovative synthesis of wide-ranging research on: the impacts of neoliberalism and cultural restorationism upon the development of intended curriculum; discipline-informed inquiry pedagogies used to enact the curriculum; and the teaching of national narratives as a political act. This comprehensive comparison of the ways in which history education in settler-colonial nations has developed over time provides new insight into the common elements of national history education, and the role this education can play in developing democratic dispositions.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AMONG SIXTH-GRADE STUDENTS AT BAGHDAD

Background: University students of different disciplines are subject to different psychological, social and academic problems and pressures, which vary according to their specialties, cultural , social and economic and backgrounds that affect their behaviour and psychological reactions. The study of nursing requires mental, psychological and physical effort and the presence of certain skills. This leads to problems and psychological stress. As a result of our country's changes, political, economic and health events and pressures, it has had negative and psychological effects on the individual, especially the student. Methodology: Descriptive design cross-sectional study was carried out Throughout the present study to knowledge the psychological problems of nursing students In college. Non probability "purposive" sample (n=74) students were included at setting (AL-BAYAN UNIVERSITY) the data collection process started from december 15th2020, up to 15th july ,2021.The statistical data up analysis were conducted Using the statistical package (SPSS). Results:the results shows the proportion of males and females participating in the study is equal, reaching (50%) for both gender. As for the level of education, the mentioned percentages showed that the percentage of college students for the fourth stage was higher than for students of the third, second and first stages, where the percentage of fourth stage students reached (50%), while the percentage of third stage students was (17.6%). And that psychological problems have the highest percentage, which is moderate among the sample answering the questions of the questionnaire. Study indicates us no significant relationship between psychological problems and socio-demographic data, at p-value, but in sample study there are have a psychological problems

Protesting in the Time of Pandemic: Diagonal Accountability, #KerajaanGagal, and Democratic Regression in Malaysia

This article argues that there are four conditions that create a conducive political climate allowing civil society and the media to hold the government accountable during the time of pandemic (2020–2021) i.e., the diagonal accountability: 1) the undemocratic formation of the Muhyiddin Yassin's government that lacked public mandate, which in turn made the government unstable and prone to political pressures; 2) the relative freedom of print and online media in reporting negative news concerning the government; 3) civil society's ability to find creative ways around pandemic restrictions to protest; and 4) socio-economic fallout from strict pandemic measures built up public resentment against the government and contributed to its unpopularity. Analyzed through the lens of political process model, and augmented by interviews with protest participants, the four conditions enable civil society and media to take advantage of the unstable political situation, namely in carving up democratic spaces amidst various restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

Essential or excluded? Union pressures and state responses to platform work in three liberal market economies

The COVID-19 pandemic led to renewed discussion of decent work for people at the margins of the labour market. This article explores public policy on platform workers across three liberal market economies, namely the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland, taking the pandemic as a focal point. Liberal market economies are generally difficult environments for unions, and we examine the nature of union political pressure on the state to enhance protections for platform workers and the extent to which policy has changed in each state. We find uneven levels of such union pressure, with the most limited attention afforded by Irish unions. In the United Kingdom, the unions did exert some influence through strategic litigation, creating a policy problem for the government. More progressive policies are evident in Canada, where the government recognises that platform workers’ precarious position has undesirable consequences for the state.

Does the market value the green credit performance of banks? Evidence from bank loan announcements

Despite the key role played by banks in shifting the global economy toward sustainable development, little is known about how the integration of environmental considerations into their lending decisions affects their market valuation. Using a sample of announcements of bank loans issued by Chinese listed banks and an event study methodology, this study examines how the market values the green credit performance of banks. We find that banks with superior green credit performance have significantly higher market valuation upon loan announcements. Cross-sectional analyses show that the positive effect of banks' green credit performance is more pronounced when banks are less exposed to political pressures. This positive effect is also stronger when borrowers have strong environmental and social (ES) performance, provide ES disclosures, operate in industries that are not heavily polluting, have high institutional ownership, and are controlled by private shareholders. Finally, our path analysis shows that green credit increases banks' market valuation by improving the prospect of future cash flows and reducing credit risk for banks. Overall, we document that green credit is a value-enhancing practice for banks in emerging markets such as China, where legal institutions and environmental regulations may not be as developed as in more advanced markets.

“Um, Diversity Definition…that’s Hard:” Student Communication About Diversity in the Classroom and Beyond

ABSTRACT After the civil rights movement, affirmative action drove discussions of diversity on college campuses in the United States. Stakeholders of affirmative action saw that diversity for diversity’s sake was not enough to justify programs and policies at academic institutions. Typically, discussions of policies and classroom inclusion strategies have been driven by faculty and institutions treating students as beneficiaries of these policies and strategies, but they are often not consulted and their perspectives are not included in instruction and policy development. This study explores student communication about diversity because the US is at a cultural-crossroads where racial, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, gender, and disability diversity are under political pressure. From these voices, we discovered a struggle with defining diversity, conflict over labeling a campus as diverse, minimizing experiences of discrimination and bias, and a need for visible administrative support of diversity and inclusion. The results of this study provide insight into how we can improve communication about diversity on campus and beyond.

The Dilemma of International Cooperation in Global Governance: The Case of Amazon Forest Conservation in Brazil

The Amazon Forest is an essential ecosystem that provides numerous services and supports millions of livelihoods. Despite conservation efforts that began in the 1960s with the Brazilian government and international agencies joining the cause, economic and political pressures still pose significant challenges. Governance of the Amazon Forest involves three main actors: sovereign states within and outside the region and NGOs. Brazil, with 60% of the worlds largest tropical forest, is the most critical intra-regional governance actor. However, conflicting interests, the governments lack of environmental governance capacity, and negative attitudes toward international cooperation impede governance in the region. Aid from outside sovereign states can be influenced by political factors, leading to the mismanagement of funds, while NGOs cannot play a substantial role due to government policies. To address these challenges, the author recommends finding consensus among different subjects, resource integration, and cooperation, construction of coordination mechanisms, information-sharing platforms, and monitoring mechanisms. Effective information-sharing and assessment mechanisms can enhance collaboration, and trust, and reduce conflicts, leading to common governance goals achievement.

To what Extent does Cognitive Bias Play a Role in the Prediction of Black Swan Events Using the Challenger's Case Study

In this essay, different types of cognitive biases and its role in the prediction of black swan events is explored through the use of the 1986 Challenger disaster. The challengers case was mainly caused by its o-rings failure due to cold weather, which was unpredictable and unexpected by all engineers at NASA. The different types of cognitive biases that were in-volved in this event were confirmation biases, sunk cost fallacy and groupthink mentally. Along with the political and social pressures at the time, these confirmation biases play a role in the false decision-making process during the challengers launch, which in itself is a black swan event. This leads to an importance in the prevention and recognition of cognitive biases, which requires strategies.

A Farewell to Arms: Brazilian Politics and Blame Avoidance during the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Brazil was one of the countries most affected by COVID‐19. Many deaths could have been avoided by implementing severe non‐pharmaceutical interventions. Despite support for stay‐at‐home requirements and masking mandates from subnational authorities, the president actively pushed back against it. What are the consequences of the political pressures against measures to mitigate virus dissemination and the utmost prioritisation of short‐term economic consequences? The article demonstrates that the strategies of shifting blame for the subnational authorities on health issues, focusing on the minimisation of economic downturn, worsened COVID‐19 results, measured by cases and deaths, in jurisdictions that voted heavily for Bolsonaro.

3.B. Round table: Learning from the pandemic and implementing lessons learned: moving past the rhetoric

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic put enormous pressure on our health systems, revealing how we were unprepared for such a global threat. We have gained many insights and learned valuable lessons about what went wrong and how we should prepare for the next pandemic. These lessons are set out in a series on national and international reports. Building Back Better is a concept at the core of many of these recommendations, arguing that we should make our health systems strong, sustainable and resilient. Although calls to learn from the past are commendable and a prerequisite for transparent and evidence-informed health policymaking, we run the risk of them becoming no more than good intentions and rhetoric. It is quite astounding to see how quickly we seem to have forgotten the profound impact of the pandemic on our societies. This does not only apply to citizens, but also to policymakers. There are many other complex and urgent policy problems that require attention - including climate change, migration, the war in Ukraine, and the cost-of-living crisis. It is therefore not difficult to imagine policymakers getting distracted by the immediate political pressures, paying less attention to - seemingly - less pressing issues that require a longer-term strategy, such as implementing the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, building back better may be a catchy phrase, but as with many things, it is easier said than done, as there are huge societal challenges that need to be overcome when we want to really strengthen our health systems. Think, for example, about shortages of health workers, which will only increase due to ageing populations. Or competing budgetary pressures, with healthcare only one of many policy areas in dire need of investment. All in all, we have seen the paramount importance of building back better, but there are many challenges in practice. This roundtable will focus on how we can make sure that these lessons learned from the pandemic are actually implemented in our public health and wider health systems. The panelists will represent different perspectives and reflect on: what does the evidence tell us and what is needed at the system-level, the policy-level, and the level of the public health professional? Workshop participants will gain an understanding of what it will take to move from mere buzzwords to action, creating more resilient health systems, a fit-for-purpose and flexible health workforce, and equal access to vaccines and medicines, and what the role of different stakeholders in this could and should be. Key messages • Although we have seen the paramount importance of building our health systems back better, there are many challenges in practice. • Public health leadership, a longer-term vision and an evidence-informed approach are indispensable for realizing strong and resilient health systems. Speakers/Panelists Martin McKee LSHTM, London, UK Natasha Azzopardi Muscat WHO, Copenhagen, Denmark Dineke Zeegers Paget EUPHA Ton Coenen GGD GHOR Nederland, Utrecht, Netherlands

OFFSHORE BUSINESS AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF ITS REGULATION

The importance of researching this issue lies in the fact that in the modern world, offshore business has gained global proportions, one helps to open a new business, another to avoid large taxes, and a third to keep their organization in secret․ In modern society, both in politics and in business, the term "offshore" has no clear meaning. The use of offshore zones can not be called a modern phenomenon, as the history and formation of this activity began in the late 1950s, but despite that period, it has gained international recognition. The urgency of this issue is also due to the influence of offshore companies on the redistribution of financial resources. Currently, offshore zones have become an integral part of the global economic system and the national economies of many, including highly developed countries. Based on the study, its determined, that offshore areas will continue to develop under constant political and economic pressure.

Towards green banking

The purpose of the study is to present, using the method of critical analysis of the literature, the selected issues accompanying the phenomenon of so-called "green banking". Green banking includes two main aspects. Internally, it manifests itself as an effort to make the operation of banks environmentally neutral. In the external aspect, i.e. the scope of banks' operation in the market, the idea of green banking is used in the selection of assets in which banks financially engage. As a result, banking institutions are becoming an important instrument for transmitting environmental policy impulses to the economy, particularly by excluding the financing of some traditional industries such as the fossil fuel industry. While the goal of climate protection itself is understandable, the manner and pace of pursuing it is no longer necessarily so. On the one hand, banks succumbing to political and social pressure are imposing pro-environmental missions on themselves, including a rapid shift away from financing the fossil fuel industry. On the other hand, such an approach results in a feedback mechanism through which the likelihood of the creation of so-called stranded assets in the financial system increases, i.e. the loss of value of bank assets previously involved in and linked to environmentally damaging industries. The magnitude of the impact of this phenomenon on the stability of the financial system is difficult to estimate, as its negative effects will not only directly affect the funds involved in certain industries but will also cause the price of commodities and thus of derivatives based on them or related to them to become unstable.

The Politics of Prescriptivism: One Style Manual, One Century

This article analyzes the changing prescriptive aims of the New York Times style guides from 1923-2015. While the editors of the style guides are not always explicit about the political pressures that result in changes from one edition to the next, the development of the entries throughout the 20th and 21st centuries demonstrates the power of standard language ideology at work. By tracing the changing prescriptions over the decades, this study highlights the complicated but important nature of the politics of prescriptivism.

Making heterogeneous infrastructure futures in and beyond the global south

Infrastructure has never been a single thing, understood in a universal way. Yet, there has long been a broad overarching orthodox approach in which ‘experts’ create replicable, stable, large, networked systems to control nature and ensure regular, predictable flows of people, materials and information. Within this orthodoxy, infrastructure is narrated as good, contributing to economic and social development. In this paper, we identify environmental, economic, political and social pressures challenging this approach to infrastructure, pushing for it to be understood, enacted and constructed differently. We then show how actors have responded to these pressures through examples of flood mitigation, corridor development and sanitation. Our cases are not pure instances of a new approach. Instead, we use them to tease out emergent efforts (and struggles) to rework infrastructure, to make it more fluid, flexible, sustainable and responsive to democratic demands, as well as to more clearly link infrastructure with well-being. These examples reinforce the importance of differentiating infrastructure, including considering how particular approaches imagine and contribute to sustainability and well-being. In this context, we point towards broader ideas of how infrastructure might be reimagined and remade in the future, and the difficult politics of such new visions.