Abstract With the advent of Sustainable Development Goals, the issues concerning tourism, political stability, and economic growth have become a prominent subject of discussion. This study evaluates the impacts of tourism development on the economic growth of 52 African countries from 2008 to 2023. The research period selected is special because it encompasses two significant global events: the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Global Financial Crisis. Additionally, the study assesses how political stability and tourism development interact to affect Africa's economic growth. The two-step system generalized method of moments (2SY-GMM) econometric appraisal technique was employed to achieve the designed objective. The findings of the study disclose that tourism development (TAS) positively and significantly influences the economic growth rate of Africa before the introduction of political stability (POS) in Africa’s economic growth model. However, when the interactive term of political stability-tourism development (POS*TAS) is introduced in the model, the contribution of tourism development to Africa’s economic growth becomes significantly negative. Specifically, the 2SY-GMM shows that, when all other factors stay the same, a percentage change in the interactive term of political stability-tourism development is accompanied by an average decline of a 0.0718% in Africa's economic growth rate in the short run, while it reveals a decrease of 0.888% in the long run. This implies that once political stability was addressed in the growth model, Africa's tourism contribution to the economic growth rate became negative in both the short and the long term. Further, to improve the short- and long-term contributions of Africa’s tourism development to economic growth, member countries need to strengthen their commitment to establishing a politically stable environment and bolstering anti-terrorism efforts. Ultimately, this study suggests economic policies that encourage the Politically Stable Tourism-led Growth (STLG) if tourism development is to enhance Africa’s economic growth in a sustainable way.

Over several decades, there has been a significant scholarship establishing the benefits of public service internships. The benefits range from civic engagement (Simons et al. 2012) to developing student knowledge (Sisselman-Borgia and Torino 2017). As a form of experiential learning, public service internships are especially important as they provide “real-world” opportunities for students to build career readiness (Bradberry and De Maio 2019). The types of public service internships can take many forms whether structured or unstructured. While internships as a form of experiential learning offer several benefits, Foley and Jordan (2024) find that structured internships (e.g., assigned credit hours, designed curriculum and faculty guidance) enhance the internship experience for students. In 2022, our University began its first-ever state capital internship program. Unlike some other state capital internship programs, this program originated in the president’s office not within a department of political science and as such has several features often not found within other state capital internships. In this paper, we explore the design, implementation and team effort in creating our first-ever state capital internship program. We discuss early successes and failures as we navigated issues such as recruitment and selection as well as curriculum design and placement. Our program benefited from substantial support from the University administration as well as across unit support. While no model is perfect, we believe that there are lessons learned from our three years of experience that can provide issues to consider for those designing their first state capital internship program as well as those with existing programs.

ABSTRACT This article explores how political elites use reference-point framing in democratic transitions to reduce uncertainty, thereby enhancing the credibility of commitment to democracy during periods of regime change. Drawing on the concept of reference points, primarily applied in political science to voters’ evaluation of government performance, this study examines its applicability in democratization. A case study of Georgia’s Rose Revolution demonstrates how elites effectively reference historical instances of democratization to garner domestic and international support and reduce the risks associated with political transitions. Using a dataset on reference-point framing in democratic transitions, the paper reveals several key patterns. Elites select precedents to demonstrate their regime change as democratic, peaceful, and gradual. Specifically, they tend to select precedents based on familiarity, connectivity, and similarity. The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of how elites mitigate uncertainty in democratization and opens avenues for future research on the empirical effects of reference-point framing on citizens and international perceptions.

ABSTRACT Epistemological positioning is foundational to any analysis, yet pluralist epistemologies are taught unevenly in political science methods courses. This article draws attention to this crucial foundation and suggests that a basic grounding in positivist and interpretivist research paradigms would give students conceptual tools to adjudicate between competing claims and contradictory evidence in the empirical world—even as it would highlight comparative advantages of different approaches to knowledge production. Using an optical illusion as a heuristic guide, the article proposes a practical classroom exercise to illustrate the central differences between positivist and interpretivist approaches to political science and to elucidate how these differences play out in research design and inquiry.

ABSTRACT Interviewing is a widely used method in political science. Nevertheless, the emphasis on teaching quantitative methods means that proper training for interviewing is lacking at the undergraduate level. In this article we provide tools for instructors to better prepare students to conduct interviews as a research method. Anchoring our discussion on developing good and ethically sound interview questions, we introduce a rubric to assess question development and explore best practices in developing interview questions in three courses in educational institutions with distinct characteristics.

The Islamic Moral Economy (IME) that was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s offers a morally sound alternative to conventional economics focusing on justice and equity. Based on Islamic values, it encourages social responsibility, shared prosperity, and sustainable development using a unique economic and financial system. Islam is the predominant religion in Bangladesh, and the idea of an IME has drawn significant attention. Therefore, this study aims to provide an overview of the IME, and explore the contemporary state of the IME in the social context of Bangladesh. It also attempts to critically examine the multi­dimensional obstacles that hinder the effective implementation of IME in Bangladesh, focusing on the economic, social and political factors behind its complexity. The key findings revealthat the negative impacts of global capitalism, widespread corruption, violations of human rights, political instability, the rise of secularism and fragmented Islamic movements are significant obstacles that decrease economic justice and trust. The shortcomings of Islamic banking, which often ignore fundamental ethical values, also create significant obstacles. Finally, this paper seeks to illuminate the potential solutions for the IME from Bangladeshi perspective and offers valuable insights to policymakers, financial institutions, and researchers navigating Bangladesh's evolving economic landscape. With a qualitative approach, this paper relies on primary data from the professors of Islamic studies, political science and economics and an official of banking sector, and secondary data from journal articles, newspaper reports, social media, and related books.

ABSTRACT The Recovery and Resilience Facility of the European Union (EU) provided member states with funds to counteract the economic consequences of the pandemic and required the submission of national action plans. The EU developed guidance on how member states should apply for and use these funds, directing applicants to include a gendered analysis. While there is significant variation in the levels of gender awareness within the national plans, the Irish plan is notable in that it lacks any substantial engagement with gender considerations. Using document analysis and policy maker interviews, this article examines the causes and outcomes of this disengagement, exploring this puzzle of a lack of gender sensitive economic policy-making in Ireland. We examine why, despite direction from the EU, those charged with Ireland’s economic policy framework omitted any significant consideration of gender. Drilling down into a specific example of how gender considerations were marginalised in economic governance, we argue for understanding more about how the interpretive or cognitive lens that policy makers apply reinforces long-standing norms about what matters. We contribute to feminist political economic analysis of the EU and national policy-making, highlighting where the blockages to gender equality lie.

This is the final article in a four-part series that presents an operational typology of the field of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (TCIM). Using a series of six "ideal types" (each with two or more subtypes), the TCIM typology provides theoretically driven parameters for classifying the wide range of TCIM therapeutic approaches in use across the globe. The current article, focused on the sixth type-Integrative Therapeutics-closes the series by synthetically elaborating on five distinct "forms" of therapeutic integration (sometimes termed "integrative medicine" or "integrative health care") at play across the globe: Melting Pot, Co-optation, Multiculturalism, Transculturation, and Third Space. Those five forms of integration, elaborated with reference to critical social science and political science literatures and using real-world examples, fall along with a spectrum between the two polarized Integrative Therapeutics subtypes identified in a previous article: (1) Integrative Assimilation and (2) Integrative Equity. These polarities account explicitly for the paradigmatic differences between, and complex differential power relations among TCIM therapeutics and-in particular-with Biomedicine. Together, the five forms of Integrative Therapeutics offer an extended typological model for classifying the range of scenarios in which TCIM therapeutics may come to interface with one another, and with Biomedicine, in pursuit of health and well-being for all.

ABSTRACT As the number of digitized archives increases, so does attention to archival research as a useful qualitative method. This article presents a pilot project in an undergraduate political science methods course at the University of Toronto Mississauga designed to familiarize and engage students with digital archival research in an entertaining way. In collaboration with the campus library, students were invited to imagine themselves as rookie detectives and investigate a “cold case” of a potential Unidentified Flying Object encounter in Canada during the Cold War. They explored a digital archive curated explicitly for this purpose and made available in the course’s online learning-management system, with related documents and photographs accessible from the Library and Archives Canada; visited the library that presented archival research; and answered questions relevant to the case. Results from a subsequent participants’ self-assessing survey indicate that this assignment was beneficial in enhancing student comprehension of archival research. This suggests that such innovative pedagogical activities can render topics like methods more appealing and learning about them more enjoyable.

ABSTRACT Instructors must balance advancing student knowledge and fostering civic abilities as dual objectives of political science education. Combining these objectives has informed various approaches in course design that often follow the idea of learning by doing, with a strong emphasis on the doing. This article presents a pedagogical frame—“community-based learning as research methods learning”—that focuses on the learning side of learning by doing and centers research instruction. It suggests that community-based learning must come before community-based research and that research methods learning must come before carrying out research tasks. The article invites those who aim to address the dual objectives of political science education in their course design to do so with a methods-learning mindset rather than solely with a research-output trajectory.

Research into the activities of historical figures and the popularization of these findings form the basis for the development of state ideology, strengthening national unity, and enhancing the spiritual potential of society. During the Soviet era, A. Tolubaev occupies a special place as a statesman and political figure. During the republic's most difficult years, he headed the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Kyrgyz SSR, the republic's highest authority between sessions, and made a significant contribution to its socioeconomic and cultural development. The analysis of the historical preconditions for his formation as a statesman on the basis of scientific research, as well as the creation of the image of an outstanding historical figure, remain relevant tasks at any time. By the 1930s, Kyrgyzstan was undergoing large-scale socioeconomic and cultural changes, with significant achievements in agriculture and industry. The process of statehood, which had begun in the 1920s, entered a new phase. The formation of the Kirghiz SSR in 1936, the adoption of a new Constitution in 1937, and the creation of the Supreme Soviet elevated the republic's status to the Union level, ensuring equal rights and promoting its comprehensive development as a state. Construction of the republic's first light and heavy industrial facilities, as well as railways and highways connecting cities, began. Politically, during this period, a unified system of governance was established, borders were formally clarified, and various agencies began to function. The awakening of national consciousness and the formation of new views, brought about by fundamental changes in the country's socio-political life, create a situation in which various contradictions and rivalries between the old and the new are exacerbated. Under such conditions, the role of historical figures, heroes, socio-political figures, scientists, and thinkers always increases. The 1920s and 1930s were precisely such an era for the Kyrgyz people. During these years, many outstanding personalities emerged from the depths of the people, including A. Orozbekov, Zh. Abdrakhmanov, A. Sydykov, B. Isakeev, M. Salikhov, T. Aitmatov, I. Aidarbekov, T. Kulatov and others, who made a significant contribution to the political, economic and cultural development of the state. Changes in the Soviet political system opened up opportunities for the involvement of broad segments of the population in government structures and various spheres of public life. Against the backdrop of these socio-political transformations, this article analyzes A. Tolubaev's involvement in public administration and his role in the republic's development.

In recent years, Morocco has carried out a number of actions and reforms to encourage women to play a greater role in the country's social, ‎political, and economic progress. In 2004, it adopted a new constitution that guarantees gender equality. The constitution lays the legal foundations for promoting gender equality and women's rights. The program to support universal preschool education and the reform of the ‎family code (Moudawana) has had a positive effect on girls' education. Microcredit has been developed by the microcredit program to support women's entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. Morocco has devoted funds to the education of girls and women, particularly ‎in rural areas, to improve their access to education and enhance their skills. In 2005, the (INDH) launched awareness campaigns to combat ‎violence against women and promote gender equality.‎ Although Morocco has undertaken reforms and initiatives to promote gender equality and involve women more fully in the country's social, ‎political, and economic development, analyses and studies by international bodies rank it very low. In this work, we examine the Global ‎Gender Gap Report (GGGR) and other similar studies to find and identify areas of weakness and improvement, while comparing with Portugal and Spain‎.

The relationship between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Gulf countries began after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003. With Saddam's demise, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries grew apprehensive about Iraq's future, shaping their interactions with the KRG based on Iraq's significance and role in their political and security calculations. The post-2005 era witnessed heightened regional tensions, driven by an unfavorable balance of power for the GCC, governance and security challenges in Iraq, and the predominant influence of Shi'a groups over Iraqi state institutions. The Gulf countries' engagement with the KRI in Iraq can be delineated by two principal objectives of GCC foreign policy in Iraq. Firstly, Saudi Arabia sought to assert a substantial role in regional politics, particularly in post-2005 Iraq, in response to the escalating influence of Iran and Turkey in the region. Secondly, Saudi Arabia aimed to counterbalance Shi'a dominance within the Iraqi state by fostering equilibrium among Iraq's major factions. While the Sunni population exhibited weakness and division, the Kurds significantly influenced the country's political trajectory, especially from 2005 to 2017. I will argue that the Iran’s growing presence in Iraq has emerged as the most significant factor of GCC-KRI relations. Consequently, Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia, have sought to engage with the Kurds to exert pressure on both the Shia government and Iranian dominance. The GCC ties with KRI are intricately linked to the post-2005 policies of Iraq's political elite towards the Gulf countries. The GCC's engagement with the KRI primarily occurs during pivotal political developments and crises in Iraq, aiming to leverage Kurdish influence in Baghdad and assert a role in Iraq's domestic politics.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has reshaped Europe’s geopolitical, security, and economic landscape, with particularly acute consequences for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). This thematic cluster provides an interdisciplinary snapshot of these transformations, emphasizing the region’s role as both a frontline and a catalyst for broader European change. Drawing on international relations, security studies, economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology, the contributions examine how the war has accelerated European Union security integration, including unprecedented military assistance to Ukraine, expanded defense coordination, and rising defense expenditures. The introduction highlights the war’s devastating human, economic, and environmental costs for Ukraine, alongside spillover effects across Europe, such as mass displacement, energy shocks, inflationary pressures, and heightened social and political tensions within CEE states. It situates these developments within contemporary scholarly debates over international order, realism and liberalism, and the limits of aggregated European analyses that obscure regional variation. Collectively, the articles explore geopolitical repositioning, energy transformation, public opinion, and lived experiences of war and displacement, offering insight into Europe’s evolving political and institutional trajectory amid an ongoing conflict.

ABSTRACT This paper undertakes a critical assessment of the historical origins and institutional evolution of central banks as key components of the modern monetary system, with a particular focus on the Brazilian Central Bank (Banco Central do Brasil, BCB) and its planning of a digital currency (CBDC). By situating Brazil's CBDC, Drex, within a broader historical and political context related to the making of money, we shed light on the power dynamics embedded in the choices of monetary designs. The advent of CBDCs provides a unique vantage point from which to illuminate these processes and to evaluate the prospects for reconfiguring the architecture of monetary governance. Adopting a political economy analysis of CBDCs, our study interrogates the extent to which such innovations could support a paradigm shift. By analyzing the Brazilian case, the paper aims to address a gap in the literature concerning the political dimensions of money, and particularly the structural design of contemporary monetary systems.

In the context of a socialist-oriented market economy and rapid urbanization, ensuring social security for poor and near-poor households is a pivotal task aimed at maintaining social stability and promoting sustainable development. Ho Chi Minh City—a special urban municipality and the nation’s largest economic hub—has achieved significant milestones in implementing social security policies. However, it continues to face numerous challenges due to its large population scale, high labor mobility, and the persistent risk of relapsing into poverty. By adopting a political science approach and analyzing practical realities, this article clarifies several key factors influencing the effectiveness of social security for poor and near-poor households in Ho Chi Minh City today. From there, it suggests emerging issues for policy refinement and the organization of social security implementation in major metropolitan areas.

Federalism as a system of government has evolved significantly since its conceptualization, adapting to diverse political, economic, and social contexts across the globe. This research paper examines the intricate dynamics of federalism with specific focus on centre-state relations, analysing how power is distributed, exercised, and contested between national and subnational governments. Through comparative analysis of federal systems including the United States, India, Germany,and Canada, this study explores the tension between cooperative and competitive federalism, the role of fiscal federalism in shaping intergovernmental relations, and the constitutional mechanisms that either facilitate or impede harmonious governance. The paper investigates contemporary challenges such as asymmetric federalism, the impact of globalization on sovereignty distribution, and the rise of populist movements affecting federal cohesion. Drawing on constitutional law, political science, and public administration literature, this research argues that successful federalism requires dynamic equilibrium between autonomy and unity, necessitating institutional innovations that balance regional diversity with national integration. The findings suggest that while no single federal model is universally applicable, certain principles of fiscal equity, judicial arbitration, and democratic participation emerge as critical determinants of sustainable center state relations in pluralistic societies. Keywords: Federalism, Center-State Relations, Cooperative Federalism, Fiscal Federalism, Constitutional Law, Intergovernmental Relations, Asymmetric Federalism, Political Decentralization

This paper seeks to discuss agendas, implications and contestations of Generation Z Movement 2025 in Nepal. Drawing on various theoretical perspectives in political science, it situates Gen Z mobilization within the context of global activism and examines how phenomena such as the digital divide and postmodern transformation shape youth alienation, activism and demonstrations. The study follows a systematic review and a critical paradigm to examine Gen Z's dissatisfaction with corruption, impunity and institutional unresponsiveness in Nepal. These issues have been linked to broader concerns about legitimacy, social contracts, social movements, post-democratic criticism, digital activism, and the alienation of youth.Research evidence shows that the lack of governance in the country has eroded Gen Z's trust, sparking a widespread young-led revolution that is driving a major political transformation. The Gen Z Movement 2025 is not a one-point campaign; it summarizes several developmental and leadership crises in Nepal. The movement, as a causal construct, has revealed the depth of problems, including failures to provide leadership, the decay of traditional political authorities, and disrespect for the agenda of structural reforms. Yet, the violence and vandalism of the movement should be condemned which contests with the characteristics of social movement in general and peaceful culture of Nepalese people in particular.The paper concludes that issues and agendas of Gen Z movement is not purely an age-cohort specific; rather they are intergenerational and multidimensional. The paper, therefore, recommends that such issues and the lack of democratic consolidation in post-Gen Z Nepal can only be resolved through inclusive reforms, transformational leadership, improved governance and increased civic literacy.

Abstract This study is positioned within debates in the Science Education field about its role in local–global social justice science issues (SJSIs), such as the COVID‐19 pandemic and unequal distributions of health‐related support and outcomes, climate degradation, and the return of scientific racism. With a growing number of scholars advocating a socio‐political and social justice‐informed turn in science education to address such SJSIs (emphasising critical reflection on science's political, ethical, and social dimensions), special attention needs to be paid to science educators as key agents of such a turn. However, in England, where this study is based, educational policies have increasingly prioritised performativity, standardised curricula, and compliance‐driven teacher work and education, marginalising critical engagement with socio‐political and social justice issues across the profession. Thus, in this article, we examine the findings from an interview‐based qualitative study with 18 science educators (student teachers, schoolteachers, teacher educators) currently working in connection with the English secondary education sector, focusing on their identities as ‘going against the grain’ of mainstream science education policies and practices in the country, particularly in relation to socio‐political and social justice issues. Our thematic findings—Finding Science, Seeking connection, Experiencing injustices and disadvantages, Wanderlust, Meeting role models, and Reflexivity—help illuminate who science educators working for a socio‐political and social justice‐informed turn in Science Education are, and what kinds of teacher education, professional development, and school structures are needed to support and sustain these educators in England.

ABSTRACT This essay is part of a series collectively redefining the method, message, social location, and historical impact of the book of Ezekiel. Previous instalments looked at illustrative examples of the prophet’s satirical məšālîm, which he deployed as vehicles for strident religious and political criticism. This sequel elucidates a related but more consequential assault on normative Judahite paradigms, manifest as a comprehensive, near total iconoclasm. As the epicentre of that shattering negation, Ezekiel is here understood not in accordance with the roles scholars have typically assigned to him—as a second Moses or traumatized exile—but as a zealous champion of the ban against images. Based on a close reading of the text, the exposition shows how the inexorable logic of that proscription drove the prophet to a sweeping rejection of the central cult—including the conventional Jerusalemite concept of God.