Political Approach Research Articles

Historical Analysis of Environmental Degradation in Pakistan: A Narrative Review

The degradation of the environment in Pakistan has become worse through historical, socio-economic, and geopolitical interactions. This narrative review considers burning issues like deforestation, water shortage, and soil and water pollution, which can be linked to colonialism, industrial change, and urbanization. The review is an analysis that takes into consideration the political ecology approach, which demonstrates how political power has led to resource capture and environmental unfairness. This approach enhances the aspect of sustainability, stating measures be drawn from other nations to avoid further harm to ecology. While policy compliance is weak, promoting industrial development has brought negative impacts, according to the review of policy solutions such as afforestation programs, integrated management, and sustainable policies. The recommendations include reinforcing and promoting environmental legislation, improving intersectoral cooperation, and finding sustainable development that would help strengthen Pakistan's ecological base.

The role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in military operations in Cyprus: a bureaucratic politics approach

ABSTRACT This study examines the emergence of a bureaucratic group which specialized on Cyprus, and explores the impact that this group had on decisionmaking tied to the Cyprus Question, from 1954, when Cyprus became an international issue, to 1974, with the onset of military operations on the island. Drawing on the Cyprus Military Operations as a case study, a bureaucratic-policy approach is adopted to shed light on the place of bureaucratic institutions in the foreign policy decision-making mechanism.

The Village Fund, Village Tourism Development, and Its Impact on Income Inequality in Rural Indonesia: How do Village Elites Shape It?

ABSTRACT In Indonesia, the central government is implementing the Village Fund Program to alleviate rural poverty through, among others, developing village tourism under the village-owned enterprise scheme (Badan Usaha Milik Desa/BUMDes). However, income inequality has been increasing severy year. Existing studies have highlighted the problems of the village government's management of village funds and its impact on poverty alleviation. The understanding of income inequality remains restricted. This research investigates the impact of the implementation of the Village Fund on village tourism development and its impact on income inequality. Using mixed methods, this research was conducted in one of the pilot villages nationally acknowledged as the best in implementing the program and found that village elites earned six times more income than non-elites. From the political economy approach, this article demonstrates how village elites implemented the Village Fund in developing a BUMDes-based tourism village and how they contribute to income inequality.

Five levels of famine prevention: towards a framework for the twenty-first century and beyond.

In recent years, the world has faced a rapid rise in humanitarian needs and an increasing risk of famine. Given the potential threats posed by conflict, climate change, economic shocks, and other issues, it is important to be prepared for the possibility of new crises in the future. Drawing on key informant interviews and a literature review, this paper assesses the state of the art in famine prevention, examining a range of technical and political approaches and analysing emerging lessons. Based on the findings, it identifies five levels of famine prevention: (i) averting famine; (ii) anticipating famine; (iii) reducing famine risks; (iv) altering famine risks; and (v) preventing famine risks.The paper argues that the current focus only partially addresses a relatively narrow set of levels. It concludes that a more comprehensive approach that engages all five levels simultaneously could contribute to a global famine prevention framework for the twenty-first century and beyond.

The International and Local Politics of the Rural Environmental Registry: Brazil's Green Currency

ABSTRACTSince the 2000s, rural elites have engaged in ‘greening’ the Amazon extractive frontier. Private and state‐led initiatives have consolidated the agro‐industrial system by incentivizing compliance and effectively legalizing deforestation. Brazil's Rural Environmental Registry (Cadastro Ambiental Rural — CAR) is fundamental to ‘sustainable producer’ initiatives and international and local carbon markets. Since its emergence at the end of the 1990s, it has been funded and promoted by European countries and the World Bank through the G7 Pilot Programme for the Conservation of Brazilian Rainforests and the Amazon Fund. This analysis draws on a critical political economy approach and several years of multi‐site interviews, participant observation and archival research to illuminate how donor and recipient agencies have sustained territorial and georeferencing technologies as an international state project to enable the green economy, despite political shifts and the inherent contradictions of this instrument. The article shows how ecological modernization technologies enable the ‘greening’ of agro‐industry expansion while exacerbating land conflicts and marginalizing Indigenous and traditional peoples’ collective land rights.

State of the Field

This article considers the history and current status of African literary studies in the anglophone academy, especially in the United States. While African literary production has been valorized and validated in recent years, African literary studies lacks the recognition it deserves. In the US, African literary studies has always struggled to gain a foothold, tending to be marginalized within the marginalized. In African/Africana studies programs, literary studies can play second fiddle to political science, anthropology, history, and environmental studies. In language/literature departments, African literature courses—if taught at all—are likely to be infrequently offered electives. Outside of the big Title VI universities, the chances of finding an African literature specialist are slim—and those specialists are likely to be expected to teach a range of more general courses such as introductory surveys and upper-level courses in “rest-of-the-world”/postcolonial/Global South literature. African literary specialists have frequently expressed suspicion of the generalizing tendencies of literary theories, including postcolonial theory. Questions about the validity and applicability of postcolonial theory in the study of African literature still persist, but for grad students starting PhD programs since the mid 2000s what has dominated their experience has been the explosion not only of new primary texts and forms and modes of circulation, but the proliferation of ways of reading. Moving well beyond concerns with authenticity, tradition and modernity, language questions, questions about formalist or political approaches, contemporary scholars and their students are offering radically new kinds of readings, offering hope that the same kind of prominence enjoyed by Africa’s creative writers in recent years may yet be enjoyed by African literary scholars.

The Political Impact of King Abdullah II's Second Discussion Paper on the Development of Jordan's Democratic System: An Analytical Study of Political Parties (2013-2024)

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the political impact of His Majesty King Abdullah II's Second Discussion Paper on the development of the democratic system in Jordan, with a focus on the state of political parties during the period from 2013 to 2024. The Second Discussion Paper served as the primary concept (independent variable), and its influence on the evolution of political parties (dependent variable) within Jordan's democratic system was critically examined. The study was divided into two sections: the first addressed key concepts and the trajectory of democratic development in Jordan, while the second analyzed the impact of the Second Discussion Paper on political parties and their role in Jordanian political life. Methodology: A political analysis approach was employed to understand and interpret the influence of the Second Discussion Paper on political parties in Jordan, framed within the context of democratic theory. The analysis focused on the direct effects of the Discussion Paper on Jordan's political system, specifically examining the evolving role of political parties. Findings: The study found that the Second Discussion Paper significantly strengthened the role of political parties in Jordan by fostering national dialogue and supporting political pluralism. The Paper contributed to increased political participation by parties, enhanced their influence within the democratic process, and encouraged the development and reshaping of party roles within Jordan's political system. Conclusion: The study concluded that there is a strong correlation between the Second Discussion Paper and the development of Jordan's democratic system. The Paper contributed to empowering political parties, increasing their impact on political life, and reflecting the political leadership's commitment to ongoing democratic reforms.

Interpretasi Hakim dalam Menyelesaikan Sengketa Pelanggaran Myanmar terhadap Konvensi Genosida

Introductioan: A case of international dispute between Gambia and Myanmar where both countries have ratified the Convention on The Prevention of The Crime of Genocide.Purposes of the Research: The purpose of the research is to identify the legal standing of the parties, analyze the judges’ interpretation of the dispute, and propose potential approaches to resolve this case.Methods of the Research: This research uses a qualitative approach to understand the issue under study, with legal analysis methods to evaluate legal aspects and case studies of Gambia vs. Myanmar.Results of the Research: Legal standing is important. With recognition as a legal subject and participation in international agreements. Then it can claim rights and demand obligations based on international law. In this paper, there are three relevant approaches that judges can use in resolving such dispute, namely geographical, political and humanitarian approaches. When the three are combined, it will enrich the legal analysis and possibly find the best solution for all international communities.

What works to reduce regional health inequalities? A case of East vs West Germany post reunification

Abstract Regional inequalities in mortality are rising across the globe. The case of German reunification offers a unique opportunity to explore how such inequalities can be reduced, or even eliminated: following reunification, a long-standing life expectancy gap between East and West Germany was closed for women and markedly reduced for men in a period of less than 15 years. Drawing from theory on health inequalities, we investigate the contribution of material, behavioural and psychosocial factors likely related to the narrowing of the life expectancy gap between East and West Germany following reunification. We used regional data from official national statistics covering the period 1994-2020 for 15 regions in East and West Germany. Using fixed-effects models with an interaction term for regions in the East, we investigated whether within-region changes in key hypothesised factors (social security expenditure, healthcare improvements, changes in alcohol consumption, and life satisfaction), have had differential impacts on life expectancy at birth and at 65 years. We find that increases in social security benefits in the East following reunification has been the most important factor for lowering inequalities between the two parts of Germany: for every standard deviation increase in social security benefits, life expectancy at birth increased by an additional 0.20 [0.07,0.33] years for males and by 0.15 [-0.01,0.31] years for females in East relative to West Germany. We find the protective effect of social security benefits also for women at 65 years (additional 0.14 years [0.006,0.268]) but not for men. Overall, our findings suggest that increasing social security expenditure could be an effective policy-based tool for reducing health disparities across regions with different levels of economic development. This provides additional support for the relevance of the materialist hypothesis and the political economy of root causes of health inequalities. Key messages • Our findings suggest that increasing social security expenditure could be an effective policy-based tool for reducing regional health disparities. • We find support for the materialist and political economy approaches to explaining health inequalities.

A Historical Perspective Through the Lens of the Islamic City Theory: Konya Example

The concept of the Islamic city elucidates the spatial structures specific to Islam religion and civilization, deeply influencing the lives of Muslims. Despite geographical, ethnic, and cultural diversities, it has been observed that the fundamental influence of the religion shaped similar urban formations in the Islamic geography. A key determining factor in the transition from traditional bedouin tribal life to urban civilization is the need for more suitable settlements to meet the multifaceted requirements and rituals of Islam. Societies embracing Islam have restructured their ways of life, with mosques becoming centers of worship, simultaneously reshaping legal, administrative, educational, and commercial structures, thereby becoming central to urban life. Islamic cities, reaching their zenith during the Golden Age of Islam, gradually weakened over time during the processes of modernization/secularization, with the rise of rational/bureaucratic powers diminishing their role as the primary shaping force of space. Konya, representing the characteristics of the Islamic city during the Seljuk and Ottoman Empires, underwent significant transformations approaching the modern era, affecting its physical, social, economic, and administrative fabric. Particularly in the Republican era, the Islamic city features were sidelined due to modernist spatial shaping, but have recently regained importance with the emergence of Islamic political movements and approaches by National Vision (Milli Görüş) municipalities. This study examines the Islamic city from a historical perspective, highlighting common characteristics of Islamic cities worldwide, scrutinizing the erosive effects of secularization/modernization trends on the Islamic city, specifically focusing on Konya, and finally evaluating recent revitalization policies directed towards the Islamic city in Konya.

Researching into Preventing Harmful Rent-Seeking Practices: Strategic Policy Interventions Required and Lessons Learnt for Asian Countries

The author of this work argues that rent-seeking occurs in a situation wherein a company or individual seeks special privileges from another party, often the government, but does not reciprocate back. Its examples are (a) license requirements for professions; (b) creating barriers to entry for new businesses, and (c) grants, subsidies, or tariff protection. In the language of economics, rent is defined as “wealth gained via questionable, often manipulative means”.A closer look at the theoretical perspective and review of related literature is indicative of the fact that identification (and practice) of policy-induced harmful rents have been resorted to in many firms and for various purposes. More specifically, the practice of rent-seeking model has been found to be resulting in both economic ‘gains’, and ‘losses’. The bottom-line is that there is a lack of scientific research evidence and published data on how national governments and donor agencies (from across the regions of the globe) have formulated and adopted rent-seeking approaches. The author of this research essay argues that in view of these contradictions and controversies, it is important for the academic and research community to seek answers to pertinent questions on potential advantages of rent-seeking approach. The questions that need to be debated and researched into are:a) what are the approaches to identify policy-induced harmful rent-seeking practices? b) what are their respective strengths and weaknesses? c) how governments and donors have used them in different perspectives? The author, in this paper, aims to seek answer to the above prominent and key questions in the context of countries in the Asian region. In terms of research methodology, secondary data (that are largely ‘quantitative’ in nature) have been used and method of data analysis is descriptive (involving “desk-based research” approach). Data sources have been quoted in the text (including under references). The paper briefly concludes that the rent-seeking activity might be negative, but it might preserve a “growth-enhancing rent”. Even if the rent-seeking activity has a positive value, the “outcome-rent” might be negative. Governments, thus, need to be more transparent in adopting rent-seeking practices; people know how laws and regulations are produced. This renewed critical and multidisciplinary approach has important policy implications for the debates over institutional reform in rent-seeking practices for economies in Asia and the Pacific.In conclusion, the author says that the analysis of rents and rent-seeking practices has been primarily dominated by an economic point of view. This perspective places emphasis on assessing rents in accordance with their impact on “efficiency and economic growth”. As against political approach to rent-seeking (which assumes the negative impact of rents and their potential to derive from corrupt activities), monetary policy experts and economists classify rents as “growth-retarding” (or “growth-enhancing”).In terms of implications of harmful rent-seeking practices for monetary policy, the author of this work argues that the rent-seeking framework has to be extended by incorporating policy insights and strategies developed by stakeholders in the governmental sector and institutional economists if it is to explain the anomalous role played by rent-seeking in Asian countries. This mechanism includes detailed analysis of economy in the broader context in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia (including the Indian sub-continent).

Epistemic silences, subversive politics: post-disaster economic assessments as technologies of persistent coloniality and route to an emancipatory climate justice agenda in the Caribbean

ABSTRACT Economic analyses of losses and damages or post-disaster needs assessments (PDNAs) are silent about the longstanding reparatory claims related to the legacies of African enslavement, colonial violence and indigenous dispossession that compound uneven racialized geographies in the Caribbean. This paper unpacks these so-called ‘objective’ valuations drawing attention to their (neo)liberal framings, technocratic underpinnings, and historical origins in the Caribbean plantation economy. Using case studies of catastrophic hurricanes Matthew (2016), Irma (2017) and Dorian (2019) in Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, and The Bahamas respectively, the paper exposes critical tensions, knowledge hierarchies, and contradictions embedded within empirical assessments that justify and prioritize preferred policies of powerful international development, financial and governance institutions. PDNAs under-value and neglect important community and local knowledge, solidarity practices, cultural institutions, and relational ethics in the face of climate disasters in these Caribbean islands. Taking a Black geographies and political economy approach, the paper addresses the limitations and risks associated with PDNAs, deemed political tools or technologies of climate disaster that reinforce oppression. To advance an emancipatory climate justice agenda to enable more radical reparative measures and possibilities, the paper suggests that analyses and political strategy must be grounded in people's history, cultural, ethical, and communal governance practices.

Conservative turn and political identity: challenges to democracy in Indonesia after presidential election 2019

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to examine the conservative shift and identity politics: challenges to democracy in Indonesia after the 2019 presidential election. In this research, the author uses a political sociology approach as a perspective in conducting the analysis. The research method in this study uses a qualitative approach by emphasizing literature review data or literature studies related to the theme in the article. The available data is used as the basis for exploration by using sentences that are connected to form phrases and qualitative analysis. It is known that in political life, ethnic identity is used as a vote banker. Meanwhile, Islamic conservatism and populism are religious forces that disrupt electoral democracy. Issues of identity politics, conservatism, and Islamic populism will continue to grow if moderate Islamic forces such as Muhammadiyah and NU do not emerge in political and religious life.

Hubungan Kapitalis di Tempat Produksi yang Tersembunyi: Studi Kasus Petani Kakao Sertifikasi di Desa Piriang Tapiko

Abstract: This paper aims to depict the formation of capitalist relations in the hidden abode of production within the cocoa sector in the Village of Piriang Tapiko. The research is based on data collected from field research using an explanatory qualitative method. Employing a Marxist political economy approach, this study reveals that: (1) The presence of cocoa plants has ensnared local farmers in the village of Piriang Tapiko in commodification of subsistence. However, this entanglement does not necessarily subject them to class differentiation, as believed by some Marxist scholars. (2) Despite undergoing commodification of subsistence and full integration into market relations, cocoa farmers in the village of Piriang Tapiko can still access the market freely and control their work processes and its outcomes independently. The fertile forest land shapes their self-reliance in confronting market forces. (3) The plummeting cocoa productivity due to plant diseases has separated them from control over the means of production and their output, ensnaring them in a concealed capitalist relation as unpaid labor through outsourcing mechanisms hierarchically controlled by Nestle in the certified cocoa commodity chain. Ultimately, the formation of capitalist relations in the village of Piriang Tapiko adds a unique dimension to the trajectory of capitalism's development in diverse contexts.

Who Gets Paid (for) What? The Cultural Political Economy of News Content in Generative AI

One of the key controversies that generative artificial intelligence (AI) has recently stirred was whether compensation is due for the copyrighted materials used to train AI models. This article explores the logic, trajectories, and dynamics of content generation, including news, through generative AI in two distinctive yet intertwined domains. Guided by a cultural political economy approach, it examines how both the political context (validation/legitimation of AI-generated news content by established news media) and the economic context (use of unpaid and underpaid labor in the forms of freely scraped data and data annotation work) shape the deployment of news content on AI models. It further untangles how the space for serious, independent journalism may shrink, as big tech companies’ algorithmic technologies emerge as a solution to contemporary problems in journalism. A clear danger here is that AI companies’ proprietary algorithms, language training models, and value-laden parameters are incompatible with journalism's democratic obligations and responsibilities.

The Antecedents of the Entrepreneurial Intention of Cooperative Founders: The Case of the Province of Larache

This paper aims to identify the antecedents of entrepreneurial intention among the founders of cooperatives in the Larache province of Morocco. The theoretical model used is Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior, which explains intention based on attitudes toward behavior, social norms, and perceived behavioral control. Our analysis adopts a quantitative approach for 57 founders of cooperatives. The data underwent exploratory analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and confirmatory analysis through linear regression using the SPSS software. Our findings suggest a relationship between attitude toward behavior and intention while rejecting the link between social norms and intention, as well as perceived behavioral control and intention. Our findings also underscore the role of ancestral solidarity practices in empowering indigenous peoples. In this regard, the Georgist political economy approach provides a suitable perspective to promote cooperative entrepreneurship in Africa.

ВПЛИВ МІЖНАРОДНОЇ КОНКУРЕНЦІЇ НА СТРАТЕГІЧНИЙ РОЗВИТОК ЕКОНОМІКИ КРАЇНИ

The study draws attention to the problems and prospects of sustainable strategic development of the national economy. That is why the purpose of the article is the further development of methodological and applied principles and approaches to analyzing the impact of international competition on the strategic development of the country's economy. Scientific views on the interpretation of international competition are summarized, in particular, according to the geopolitical, economic, resource, political and institutional approach. The main factors of the influence of international competition on the strategic development of the national economy have been determined, namely in terms of the possible rapid accumulation of economic resources by the country, the availability of information about prospective and current needs of potential buyers, ensuring the country's competitiveness on the international market, the favorability of the national system of economic support and the development of factor competitive advantages. The trends of international competition and expected changes in the strategic development of the country's economy have been identified and characterized, in particular in terms of such components as the technologicalization of the world economy, the blurring of global industry boundaries, the globalization of international competitive relations, the polarization of world market segments, the deregulation of world market segments. The most significant manifestations of international competition have been identified, which relate to the global nature of international competition, its multifacetedness, dynamism and aggressiveness of competitive rivalry, which leads to violations in stability and balance in the economies of competing countries. The directions of the strategic development of the national economy are determined, depending on the influence of factors of international competition on it.

Chinese investment in Central and Eastern Europe: Studying the evolution of industrial relations after the takeover of a Slovenian company

The article studies the approach Chinese investors apply to industrial relations at the company level in Central and Eastern Europe. The takeover of a home appliances producer in Slovenia by a Chinese state-owned enterprise and the trajectory of company-level industrial relations are analysed. Adopting a political economy approach, we examine the role played by market-related factors (especially FDI motivation), institutional context, trade union power resources and the Chinese state as an investor. The study contributes in two ways. First, it shows the inadequacy of market-based explanations as host institutions and actors modify transfer outcomes, blurring the ideal types, such as the ‘latecomer’ model and its apparent CEE counterpart. Second, the strategic interests of Chinese SOEs may unwillingly empower local actors struggling to influence transfer outcomes.

The political economy of agroecological transitions: key analytical dimensions

ABSTRACT There is a growing global interest in agroecology, yet agroecological transitions remain fraught with challenges. These include the need to reconfigure the productive and reproductive agrarian relations of unsustainable food systems and to rethink how we work with ecosystems. Using a political economy approach, we propose five key interrelated dimensions for analyzing agroecological transitions: (i) social metabolism; (ii) labor dynamics; (iii) markets and resources; (iv) social organization; and (iv) policies and politics. While these dimensions are often analyzed separately and to varying degrees, we argue that together they contribute to a comprehensive analysis of the political economy of agroecological transitions.

Research prACTivisms – a methodology for a-more-than-educational-academic knowledge production

ABSTRACT This article aims to problematize knowledge production as merely an academic researcher endeavour by investigating how research can invite preschool-aged children to activate knowledge in situ. Informed by Isabelle Stengers’ theoretical framework, we developed the research methodology of Research prACTivisms through three propositions: activating an ecology of practices, engaging a direct democracy, and emerging situation ethics and values as means for change and transformations in continuous processes and activations. We argue that Research prACTivisms may produce and activate marginalized actors and knowledge in order to produce contemporary and situated political research practices and approaches.