Political Role Research Articles

Documentation of the Socio-Cultural Significance of Artefacts in Sefwi Bekwai Palace in Ghana

Documentation of artefacts is a great avenue for recording the relevance of the works in the lives of the people. This would also help in improving the care and maintenance of artefacts. This study thus aimed at unfolding the philosophical foundations of the traditions and culture of the people of Sefwi Bekwai located at the Sefwi Bekwai palace in the Western North Region of Ghana. The artefacts made in different kinds of materials project the religious, political, social, economic and medicinal roles that these works play in the Sefwi Bekwai culture. The study was ethnographic research under the qualitative research approach. A total of 30 study participants were purposively sampled and interviewed with the help of a semi-structured interview guide. The study participants included chiefs, linguists, and elders of Sefwi Bekwai, art experts and visual art teachers. The study revealed that the artefacts are used as mediums of worship to satisfy religious needs; to bridge the gap between people and their ancestors; to act as dwelling places of the deities, ancestors, and other spiritual powers; to seek protection and good luck; to serve as a bond of unity, kinship, and belongingness; to express beliefs in bad force, death, and the afterlife. The study contends that documentation of artefacts in palaces is crucial for safeguarding and propagating the rich cultural heritage of a people to generations. Keywords: Art Forms, Palace Artefacts, Sefwi Bekwai, Ghanaian Chieftaincy.

The Islamic Republic of Iran as a New Member of BRICS

The article analyzes the political, economic and cultural development of Iran throughout the existence of this unique state and its role in regional and world politics. It is claimed that the Islamic Republic of Iran represents one of the oldest civilizations and a serious geopolitical force in the center of Eurasia. The author explores the history of various state entities, that existed on the territory of modern Iran. The article provides an overview of key events in Russian-Iranian relations from the end of the 18th century to the present day, including the wars between the Russian and Persian Empires, the interaction of Moscow and Tehran during the First and Second World Wars, and the era of the Cold War. Special attention is paid to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which is considered as a symbol of protest against Western domination and an important factor in Reislamization, as well as the Iran-Iraq war of 1980–1988 and its consequences for regional stability. As а part of the study of Iran’s policy in the 21st century, attention is focused on Tehran’s relations with the leading centers of the modern world, including the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, the United States of America. The article describes the impact of Iran’s nuclear program on international relations and the effect of Western sanctions on the socio-economic situation in the Islamic Republic. The author concludes that Iran, which joined the BRICS in 2024, has every chance to become an important player in the global economy and politics. At the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran is a very valuable asset for the group itself.

Government Bureaucracy Ethics In Perspective Neoclassical Political Economy

Neoclassical political economy, a pivotal school of economic thought, has shaped our understanding of economics while facing criticism. Dominating the global stage, it accentuates free markets and the price mechanism's role in resource allocation. Despite its influence, this school isn't immune to scrutiny, particularly regarding government bureaucratic ethics—the moral compass guiding state apparatus behavior. Upholding strong foundational principles, it encounters disapproval regarding its stance on ethical governance. Government bureaucracy's ethical framework is crucial for fostering public trust, prompting ongoing debate within the neoclassical paradigm. While revered for its insights, this school grapples with the challenge of aligning economic theory with ethical imperatives in governance. Balancing market dynamics with ethical considerations remains a perpetual task, underscoring the complexity of neoclassical political economy's role in contemporary discourse.

Flexible Organizational Weapon of the Party: The New Presence of Women’s Federations in Women’s NGOs in China

ABSTRACT In the past decade, the Party-state has shifted from pragmatic strategies to Party integration approaches when dealing with the third sector. It has reintroduced its organizational mechanism—mass organizations—to manage this sector and enhance direct linkages with its social constituents. This article investigates how mass organizations strategically connect with and govern civil society through a series of Party integration approaches. Drawing on the cases of women’s federations (WFs) and women’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs), we propose a new typology of NGOs based on their relations with the Party: WF-affiliated, civic and independent NGOs. We then evaluate WFs’ Party integration strategies directed at each type of NGOs. First, NGOs directly affiliated with WFs/the Party play a unique political role. Second, to increase regime support, WFs develop patronage relations with civic women’s NGOs that are managed via the administrative system but unembedded in the Party system. Third, independent NGOs detached from both the Party and administrative organizations are flexibly marginalized. This article suggests that Party–state–society relations have been rewritten: civil society faces compound control from the administrative and Party systems, and the Party aims to build organizational hegemony.

From Glimmer to Grind: Unveiling the Conflict Potential of South Kalimantan’s Diamonds

This study delves into the intricate social dynamics of South Kalimantan’s traditional diamond mines, revealing a potential for conflict amidst the promise of economic uplift. South Kalimantan is one of the provinces in Indonesia, known nationwide for its diamond production. Going beyond conventional economic and environmental perspectives, the research employs Galtung’s Conflict Theory, examining the interplay of attitudes, behaviours, norms, values, and political influences. By adopting this nuanced approach, the study unveils hidden fault lines within these communities, providing a comprehensive understanding of how diverse factors converge to create discord. The consequences of unaddressed conflict include shattered livelihoods, environmental degradation, and fractured communities. The study employs rigorous quantitative methods to empower stakeholders in proactive conflict management, including questionnaires and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with data from 400 respondents. The findings underscore the significant roles of behaviours, attitudes, norms, and politics in fueling tension, with values demonstrating surprisingly less direct influence. This insight is a roadmap for conflict prevention and sustainable development, allowing stakeholders to tailor interventions based on specific conflict-driving factors. The study urges a shift from reactive to proactive measures, envisioning a future where prosperity continues and communities thrive in harmony, free from conflict.

“Look at Lagosians and Say I Am Going to Be in Charge”: Ideologies in the 2019 Lagos State (Nigeria) Gubernatorial Debate

Abstract Man, in the generic sense, is a political being whose entire life is permeated by politics. Because language plays a critical role in politics, the study was aimed at examining language as an instrument of persuasion and/or appeal in the 2019 gubernatorial debate in Lagos State. It was born out of the desire to unravel the linguistic strategies utilised by politicians to curry the electorate’s votes. Van Dijk’s (1997) socio-cognitive model of critical discourse analysis (CDA) was blended with Culpeper’s (2013) impoliteness theory to analyse the thirty-two (32) texts which were purposively sampled from the responses of the contestants. The theories were merged to establish how authors represent one another while communicating their plans. The analysis of the data revealed that the US/THEM dichotomy of the ideological square was employed by all the candidates. Findings revealed that politicians often raise very germane socio-economic issues in the polity in their presentations in a way that displays solidarity with the citizens, all in a bid to curry their votes. While lexicalisation is also another strategy employed to foreground issues to their own advantage, linguistic impoliteness (e.g., bald on record, name-calling, negative impoliteness, etc.) is deployed by politicians to whittle down opponents’ influence in order to increase theirs. The study concludes that the explication of the discursive, rhetorical, and linguistic strategies deployed by politicians helps citizens become more discerning listeners who make political choices based on convictions and not on rhetoric.

From New to Indispensable: How the 2004 Enlargement Reshaped the EU’s Transformative Powers

This editorial introduces a thematic issue that examines the consequences of the accession of the Central and East European countries to the EU 20 years onward. The socioeconomic transformation of these countries in the pre-accession period was considered a remarkable success, that was attributed to the EU’s conditionality policy. However, in the post-accession period, when these countries gained full membership rights and began playing a more active political role, they started deviating from some EU norms and rules, against a backdrop of EU crises. This shift has been, notably, reflected in concerns about democratic backsliding and rule of law violations. Nonetheless, the contributions in this issue also underscore that these countries have internalized (both top-down and bottom-up) EU norms and rules to a much greater extent than the focus on conditionality would suggest. Moreover, since Russia invaded Ukraine, Central and East European countries have become entrepreneurs of EU policy and bolstered its transformative power. These findings indicate a need to focus not only on the fundamental shortcomings in these countries—as the attention conferred to the (lack of post-accession) conditionality suggests—but also to consider other factors, such as the quality of the EU’s governance and political system, policy learning, geopolitics, and member states’ domestic politics.

The Politics of Injury: Debilitation and the Right to Maim at the EU Border

ABSTRACT Borders are sites of mass injury. This article questions the necro-consensus that has emerged within migration studies, and explores the political role that less-than-deadly violence plays at contemporary borders. By withholding from outright killing, and thus avoiding the optics of public scrutiny, EU states are deploying a carefully calibrated politics of injury designed to control racialised groups through debilitation. The injuries produced through this border regime—typified by illegal ‘pushbacks’ and deplorable camp conditions—exist beneath a threshold of liberal acceptability. In short, EU states routinely deny the right to asylum by imposing the ‘right to maim’ (Puar 2017). This article draws upon long-term research along the ‘Balkan Route’ in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, including interviews with medics, activists, EU officials, and people on the move, as well as analysis of a large border violence database. We argue that mass injury has become a politically tolerated form of violence that perversely provides the EU with the illusory conceit of humanitarian “care”. In dialogue with postcolonial scholarship that has questioned the centrality of death within biopolitics, we assert the importance of interrogating not only the necropolitical logics of migration policy (i.e death), but also the politics of non-lethal violence: the strategic and attenuated delivery of injury, maiming, and incapacitation that shapes contemporary borders. Contributing to geographies of violence and critical border studies, we suggest that greater attention is needed towards less-than-deadly harms that underpin contemporary political geographies.

What about the BRICS? examining power politics in a changing world order

ABSTRACT The rise of the BRICS has been a significant event in world politics. The bloc represents more than half of the world’s population, has vast territories, has some of the largest economies, and possesses nuclear weapons. Its emergence poses a substantial challenge to the US-led liberal order. Has there been a shift in the world order? Have Western institutions, policies, and narratives been contested because of the BRICS? This paper aims to examine power relations in world politics and explore changes to the liberal order that emerged at the end of the Cold War. It also analyzes the BRICS as a group, its role in world politics and its potential as a counterhegemonic power.

The European Union Climate Diplomacy: Evolving Practices in a Changing Geopolitical Context

Summary The European Union (EU) has systematically promoted global climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. Since the 1990s, despite varying success in international climate negotiations, it has sought to take a leadership role in global climate politics. Internal consolidation of environmental and climate policies has enhanced EU policy coherence and strengthened its ability to influence international efforts to mitigate climate change. Globally, however, the picture is marred by geopolitical competition, rendering the context of global climate politics less propitious for the EU’s climate leadership. This article examines how the EU’s climate diplomacy is adapting to an increasingly complex international context. It finds that while the EU climate action is still premised on the deep-seated beliefs of the EU’s ambitious approach to climate, the practices of EU climate diplomacy have adapted to a changing geopolitical context. This evolution is traced through a set of key diplomatic practices: narration, co-ordination, outreach and mainstreaming.

Is there a Place for Friendship in Education? Thinking with Arendt on Friendship, Politics, and Education

Abstract In this paper, we examine the political and educational relevance of Hannah Arendt’s account of friendship. Drawing from Arendt’s central works on friendship, we offer a novel interpretation of the concept by connecting the notion with the idea of educational ‘love for the world’, amor mundi. With this interpretation, we seek to demonstrate that the concept of friendship has both direct educational and indirect political significance. Thereby, we distinguish our interpretation from two previous understandings of the educational relevance of the Arendtian notion of friendship—those by (1) Aaron Schutz and Marie G. Sandy, and (2) Morten T. Korsgaard—in which friendship is either assigned a specifically political role (as in (1)) or its significance to education is narrowly understood (as in (2)). We argue our interpretation of friendship offers both a new contribution to the understanding of the relationship between education and politics in the context of Arendt scholarship, and a novel way of thinking about the educational significance of friendship in the context of contemporary democratic politics, especially the prevailing political polarization.

The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the district medical officer's role - a qualitative study.

We wished to examine the role of the district medical officer in five Norwegian municipalities to provide new knowledge of how the experience from the pandemic might have led to changes to the district medical officer's role. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 persons who had held key positions in local crisis management teams during and after the pandemic. The informants were recruited from five municipalities within the same county, and they all held leadership roles in health care (district medical officers), local politics or administration. The investigation followed up a study undertaken during the pandemic on an approximately identical study sample. After the pandemic, the function of the district medical officer had been expanded in terms of a greater full-time equivalent percentage, while their organisational placement had remained unchanged in the local administrations that were studied. Political and administrative leaders stated that as a result of their collaboration during the pandemic, they had become more familiar with the district medical officer as a professional and as a resource person in the organisation. The district medical officers reported a higher demand for their expertise in community health. Close and frequent collaboration between the district medical officers and the local administration has helped enhance their mutual knowledge. The expertise of the district medical officers has become better recognised in the organisations, and the parties find it easier to contact each other to draw on each other's competence.

Linguistic negotiation in non-profit organization regarding identity. A study on narratives, metaphors and the use of ‘we’

The political role of Sweden’s third sector is currently being renegotiated. Are services performed by the voluntary sector a necessary alternative to an inefficient welfare system, or do these services constitute a threat to the universal welfare state? This negotiation is the focus of the paper. My aim is to use linguistic theory, methods, and analysis of empirical data to capture how this negotiation took place within a voluntary non-profit organization. Based on a case study on Save the Children Sweden (where I was an embedded researcher for two years), I suggest that advocates in favour of third sector services gain advantages from certain linguistic features, such as by using ‘we’ in an inclusive, action-oriented way, by using metaphors grounded in activity, and by highlighting a specific version of the organization’s historical narrative.

Politics of a Just Transition: lessons from the UK coal mines

ABSTRACT The concept of a Just Transition [JT] gained considerable international interest as exemplified by a dedicated pavilion set up for the JT by the European Commission and the ILO at the COP27. Although the concept now encompasses a wide range of justices such as the social, legal, and environmental justices, the original concept itself can be traced back to trade union movements in the 1980s. Drawing lessons from the socio-economic damage caused by a failed JT of the UK mine closures between the 1980s and 1990s, this paper argues that former coal mining communities in the UK today continues to face similar problems identified in the past, which makes them uniquely vulnerable against the current process of JT. This paper utilises the multi-level perspective [MLP] theory by fleshing out the role of politics and policy in enabling a JT, using a case study approach to the coal mine closure in the North of England. This paper identifies the failed JT at every stage of the MLP theory. It concludes that the example of the coal mine closures provides a valuable lesson for a successful JT today such as stronger key stakeholder cooperation and a place-based response through significant decentralisation.

The Public Role of Italian Sociology: Among Institutions, Universities and Social Engagement

AbstractSociology has played an important role in Italy, although its centrality in public debate has fluctuated, and it has been supported or opposed by political power at different historical moments. Contemporary Italian sociology has developed since the 1950s and has been influenced in various ways by European and American sociological theories. Sociology has played an important role in Italian public debate and has offered a critical and scientific perspective on the country’s social reality. However, this role should be understood in the context of the different stages of development that have accompanied the academic growth of the discipline and the presence of sociologists in ‘policy making’ processes. In the latter sense, Italian sociology has played an important role in the formation of public policies, as it offers a scientific analysis of social problems and proposes solutions based on empirical research. Within this framework, the training processes also need to be situated within what has been defined—albeit with conceptual ambiguity—as ‘professional sociology’, which involves important figures such as social workers, psychologists, and health workers. However, sociology has also played an important political role both in supporting the actions of policy makers and in analysing the contradictions of the capitalist system. This article also analyses the emergence of a ‘transformative’ positional sociology alongside the traditional public sociology. The goal of this transformative approach is to counteract the public role of Italian sociology, which seems to have lost its critical-explanatory vocation without ever having truly acquired a propositional function in the social context.

Civil society organisations and the healthcare of irregular migrants: the humanitarianism-equity dilemma

Individuals who reside in a country without regular authorisation generally find it difficult to access public medical services beyond emergency treatment. Even in countries with universal healthcare, there is often a gap between rights on paper and their implementation. Civil society organisations (CSOs) fill this gap by providing medical services to vulnerable populations, including irregular migrants. What, if any, are the ethical dilemmas that arise for CSO staff when delivering such services in countries with universal healthcare? Under what conditions do these dilemmas arise? And what strategies do CSO staff use to mitigate them? We answer these questions using 40 semi-structured interviews with CSO staff working in two European countries with high levels of irregularity, universal healthcare provisions on paper, and significant differences in approaches and availability of public services for irregular migrants: Italy and Spain. We show that CSO staff providing medical services to irregular migrants in places with universal healthcare coverage face a fundamental dilemma between humanitarianism and equity. CSO staff respond to the humanitarian belief in the value of taking all possible steps to prevent or alleviate human suffering, thus promoting a decent quality of life that includes access to both emergency and non-emergency care. In doing so, however, they run the risk of substituting rather than complementing public provisions, thereby preventing governments from assuming responsibility for these services in the long term. Individuals who acknowledge the existence of this dilemma generally oppose the creation of parallel structures; that is, services specifically developed for irregular migrants outside the public system; while those who ignore it essentially subscribe to a tiered system, giving up on considerations of equity. We argue that CSOs involved in the provision of healthcare to irregular migrants do not simply provide services; they also play an inherently political role.

Women in Politics and the Public Sphere: Munich 1918/1919

Women have never been passive bystanders to the history being made around them and they have always found ways to contribute to shaping their world. Munich in 1918/1919 provides a useful site to examine women's experiences and roles due to the long-standing involvement of women in the peace movement and welfare work, as well as the foundation of the Bavarian Soviet Republic after the First World War. However, Munich in the early years of the Weimar Republic is most commonly associated with Adolf Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, an attempt by right-wing men to seize political power. Moreover, the 1918 revolution is also often told through the lens of male political figures. As a result, politics in the early twentieth century is easy to view as a male-dominated affair with women merely experiencing the effects of male political power. This era, particularly from the perspective of Munich, also becomes viewed through the lens of the rise of fascism, which obscures and distorts the alternative political visions many women held and worked towards. This article centres on women's experiences and roles in politics and the public sphere in revolutionary Munich to ask what opportunities the revolution and its immediate aftermath presented for women and how they were able to influence political decision-making despite huge barriers. Through an understanding of how their world was gendered, their role as political agents comes to the fore.

Indias Evolving Role in Global Politics: A Comprehensive Analysis

Abstract: In the contemporary global political context, India has emerged as a significant and dynamic actor, wielding influence on diverse fronts that collectively shape the international landscape. With a history deeply rooted in the principles of nonalignment and strategic autonomy, India navigates the complexities of global politics with a commitment to fostering a multipolar world order. India plays a pivotal role in the global political scenario, wielding influence across various domains that collectively shape international relations. India's impact on global politics is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, marked by its growing influence across diplomatic, economic, regional, and strategic dimensions. This abstract explores the multifaceted role of India in the present global political milieu, focusing on its diplomatic engagements, economic contributions, and regional leadership.

Investigating the Political, Economic and Geopolitical Role of Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor in China's Belt and Road Initiative

Investigating the Political, Economic and Geopolitical Role of Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor in China's Belt and Road Initiative

Stepping on Toes? Role Dynamics between Journalists and Lobbyists Regarding Big Tech’s Accountability Agenda

The expanding political role of Big Tech(nology) corporations has triggered concerns about the role of the media in holding corporate power to account. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of role dynamics between journalists and lobbyists toward the agenda for Big Tech’s responsibilities. Based on semi-structured interviews with European journalists ( n = 15) and lobbyists representing large technology corporations ( n = 15), we use professional role perceptions as a heuristic for examining the relationship of both actor groups in tandem. Journalists, who report an overlap of audience-focused with passive watchdog role ideals geared toward legislative accountability, interact with lobbyists, who assert a more concrete and active role perception. Journalists cautiously appropriate their normative watchdog role in accordance with the ideals of detachment and balance to maintain their own media legitimacy and access to an oligopolistic information environment. Remaining strategically sovereign over information, lobbyists perceive a strong mandate to establish Big Tech as a relevant stakeholder in the agenda on their regulatory accountability, but in mid of a perceived techlash, the majority of corporations avoid public attention. Both actor groups’ limited and off-the-record interaction reflects a defensive corporate stance, keeping their negotiation of Big Tech’s accountability off-stage. The technological and regulatory complexity of the information environment might render these corporations unfit for soft regulation by news media. We discuss implications for their co-dependence in the context of fast technological advancement and disruption of (corporate) mediatization processes.