Popular Support Research Articles

Contribution of education in freedom moment of India

Education was essential to the success of the independence movement in India because it acted as a driving force behind social transformation and a wellspring of individual agency. Education, at its foundation, produced a feeling of national awareness and togetherness among a variety of groups, overcoming boundaries of geographical distinction and language barrier. Education's ability to cultivate moral and ethical values, which were essential for a successful struggle for independence, was recognised by visionaries such as Mahatma Gandhi, who recognised the power of education in mobilising the masses. Gandhi emphasised the role that education played in cultivating these values. Universities and other more traditional educational institutions, such schools and schools, have evolved into hubs of intellectual conversation and political action. They made it possible for influential people like Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose to communicate their aspirations for a free India and rally popular support by providing forums on which they could do so. Education also educated citizens with critical thinking abilities, which enabled them to challenge oppressive colonial laws and argue for their rights. Education also enabled individuals to advocate for their rights. Women, who had been marginalised for a long time, were given the power via education to participate in the independence struggle in important ways. Leaders such as Sarojini Naidu and Annie Besant were not only educated in their own right, but they also advocated for the education of women and encouraged other women to play an active part in the fight for independence.

The Ways and Prospects of America's Decoupling from China's Science and Technology

United States has adopted the following four ways to realize its strategy of decoupling. Firstly, it has established an anti-China science and technology alliance to suppress the mass science and technology in China; Secondly, launch a technology competition with China to strengthen the leading position of American science and technology; Thirdly, promote the ideological battlefield and strengthen the psychological foundation of decoupling; Fourthly, strengthen the anti-China process of law, and promote the formation of a decoupling strategy. Considering the comprehensive analysis of the economic data, the law of scientific development of China, the United States and the whole world in recent five years, and the popular support of the world, this paper holds that in the short term, the decoupling of science and technology between China and the United States will cause both losses, and the world will become the victim passively. In the medium term, China's science and technology will find its own way, and steadily push forward its self-reliance and self-improvement; In the long run, the decoupling does not conform to the laws of science and will not be implemented for a long time after all.

Legitimacy Crises in Pakistan; A Study of Imran Khan Regime

Legitimacy is a public belief about the authority or government is just fair and valid accordance with established rules & regulations. It has popular support to implement its binding decisions. This paper explains the legality of democratic regimes in Pakistan and explains how they come into power, why they lose public trust, and cannot complete their tenure. There are three primary factors behind the legitimacy crises of the government in Pakistan; economic & political instability, rift with state’s institutions and weak government performance. Further, Foreign conspiracy, religious sentiments, corruption, unemployment also play a significant role in it. This paper has critically analyzed those factors which are leading to the legitimacy crises of the Pakistan Tahreek Insaf (PTI) government. An analytical approach has been used in the present study.

‘Willing’ ethnic-nationalists, diffusion, and resentment in India: A micro-foundational account

AbstractUsing evidence regarding the consolidation of Hindu nationalism in India we put forward new ethnographic data about the variety of popular support for a Hindutva project and a new framework that proposes an interactive theory of social identity. This framework helps us understand how Hindu nationalism becomes embedded in society. We assert that Hindu nationalism in India could be fruitfully analysed by focusing on the processes through which ideas of exclusive nationalism spread among ordinary middle-class people and are expressed in micro-level psychological changes at the individual level. The consolidation of Hindu nationalism in India is being authored not only by parties or the state, but also by societal actors, specifically, ordinary middle-class Indians. Hindu nationalism has been spreading in micro-public spheres in a time of apparent peace and between elections, and with the participation of willing supporters. Building on our fieldwork and research in psychology and history, our conversations have also helped us to identify profiles of different types of nationalists, which we categorize as willing ethnic-nationalists, hardliners, bystanders, and moderates. Further, we suggest the need to focus on inter-linked micro-level mechanisms such as diffusion and emulation of Hindu-centric beliefs and ideas, mobilization by hardliners and organizations, and impunity resulting from protection by state agencies, which helps to create willing ethnic-nationalists and sustains Hindu nationalism. Evidence regarding social interactions from a variety of survey organizations concurs with our findings and our ethnographic material allows us to delve deeper into varieties of Hindu nationalist support across diverse ordinary people.

FASCISM IN THE WORKS OF THE AMERICAN HISTORIAN GEORGE MOSSE (1918-1999)

The author examines the assessments of fascism presented in the works of the famous American historian G. Mosse. G. Mosse was one of the first to consider fascism as a pan-European phenomenon, emphasizing both the diversity and similarity of various fascist movements. Among the common features that should be considered in national contexts, he singled out: the concept of revolution as a "spiritual revolution", nationalist or racist mysticism, the search for a "third way", revolutionary dynamism and the problem of "taming the revolution", the myth of the new man, the fusion of bourgeois morality and respectability with the ethics of fascism, represented by militant and traditionalist models of courageous men. G. Mosse was one of the first to turn to anthropology to reconstruct the belief system of people who lived in the late XIX and early XX centuries to explain how the Third Reich could become a political reality. G. Mosse pays great attention to the ideological factor, considering the prerequisites of fascism, at a time when the fascist ideology was perceived by historians as complete nonsense. G. Mosse characterizes fascism as a secular religion and turns to the study of the "liturgical elements" of fascism, symbols and myths as means to understand how modern mass movements received popular support. His numerous publications contributed to a paradigm shift in fascist studies. In this sense, he anticipated the cultural orientation of later authors, such famous historians of fascism as S. Payne, R. Griffin and E. Gentile.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Reddit Support Group: Finding New Meaning in Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can significantly impact quality of life. Reddit allows users with common interests, like HS, to form a community and share information. This has become increasingly important with pandemic-related social isolation. We administered a survey from May 2021 to July 2021 to characterize patients with HS use of Reddit and social media more broadly before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. An analysis of a popular HS support page on Reddit from January 2019 to August 2021 was also conducted, analyzing subscribers over time. The rate of subscriber increase was higher before the pandemic. Of 42 patients contacted, 20 patients enrolled (90% female, mean age of 32.4 years) and 18 of the 20 fully completed the survey that was administered. Participants were stratified into two groups: online support group users (n = 8) and nonusers (n = 12). There were no differences in sex, age, education level, antidepressant usage, and overall social media usage between these groups. However, there was a difference in Hurley staging, with more than four times as many users reporting a Hurley III staging compared to nonusers (p = .003). Nonusers ranked the following as desired features of a social media group more frequently than current users: bandaging/dressing boils, living with HS, medical advice from professionals, causes of HS, and diet (P = .047, P = .043, P = .043, P = .047, and P = .013, respectively). This study demonstrates that online support group use is associated with HS of higher clinical severity. Based on the needs/expectations identified in this study, recommendations can be made to providers to help fill any lacunae in clinical care.

Why the Public Supports the Human Rights of Prisoners and Asylum Seekers: An Experimental Approach

What factors shape support for the human rights of prisoners and asylum seekers at the individual level? Although the human rights literature has expanded greatly in the last 30 years, comparatively little attention has been paid to (a) the many human rights outside of a very small set of physical or bodily integrity rights and (b) the role of public opinion. We build a theoretical model of various human rights as public opinion-related policy choices, developing the micro-foundations of public support for the human rights of vulnerable subpopulations. Drawing on the broader literature on public policy and international norms, we use experimental methods to test whether calls to rational effectiveness or international norm cascades improve support for the rights of prisoners and asylum seekers. Although we find baseline support for these rights in the United States and Canada, our findings also imply that rhetoric on the potential costs of human rights policy could reduce popular support, even when such policy is consistent with international norms.

Winning hearts and minds in conflict-ridden areas: Development as a signal of benevolence

We examine the role of development in signalling governmental benevolence, thereby helping governments combat insurgency in conflict-ridden areas. While there is some literature on the role of development in mitigating conflict, very few studies examine the channel which is our focus, namely popular perception. With popular support being a core ingredient of any successful counter-insurgency program in conflict-ridden areas, investing in development becomes a vital tool in winning hearts and minds of the people, and consequently in controlling insurgency. Using a signalling game setup, we find that allowing for this possibility leads to higher investment in development relative to the socially efficient outcome. Finally, developmental projects that have greater effect on popular perception, e.g. those that are likely to get greater media coverage, or those with quick returns, get prioritized. • We examine the role of development in signalling governmental benevolence. • It helps win hearts and minds in conflict-ridden areas thus controlling insurgency. • There is higher investment in development relative to the socially efficient level. • The higher investment in development reduces military and rebel expenditure. • Developmental projects that have greater effect on popular perception get priority.

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism

Democratic backsliding in the Philippines: Are voters becoming illiberal?

Democratic backsliding by incumbents is one of the most prevalent forms of backsliding in recent global trends of democratic erosion. Understanding the attitude of voters toward backsliding incumbents is crucial because popular support is the basis of legitimacy for these incumbents. This article studies voter attitudes in the Philippines, where democracy was subverted by the incumbent president, Rodrigo Duterte, who served from 2016 to 2022. Specifically, we examine the validity of the claim that Filipino voters are acquiring a “taste for illiberal rule” made by some scholars. First, we analyzed the survey data regarding the support for various types of political systems, where part of the data comes from our originally commissioned survey at the Social Weather Stations. Second, we explored Pulse Asia's longitudinal survey data on martial-rule support. Our investigation of these survey data did not find substantive support for the “taste for illiberal rule” proposition. Further, we argue that Filipino voters are contingent supporters of illiberal politics while supporting the procedural principles of democracy at the baseline.

The pandemic in the North Atlantic: How COVID-19 has united a polarized micronation – and how well-known conflicts are still smouldering

The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the significance of popular support for – or resistance against – scientific and political authorities in a declared state of emergency. Based on quantitative and comparative surveys, the article examines popular attitudes to COVID-19-related issues in a democratic micronation within the Danish kingdom, the Faroe Islands. Furthermore, the article examines what demographic factors can explain popular support for the way public authorities have managed the pandemic as well as the willingness to be vaccinated. The article concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic has united the Faroese population across partisan, ideological and other demographic cleavages. However, the survey also finds that public opinion is a changeable phenomenon and that well-known cleavages such as political ideology, religion and age might still explain popular disagreements on COVID-19-related issues.

Francis O'Connor. Understanding Insurgency. Popular Support for The PKK in Turkey. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge [etc.] 2021. xv, 280 pp. Maps. £75.00. (E-book: $80.00.)

Francis O'Connor. Understanding Insurgency. Popular Support for The PKK in Turkey. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge [etc.] 2021. xv, 280 pp. Maps. £75.00. (E-book: $80.00.)

Psychosocial characteristics of bullying participants: A person-oriented approach combining self- and peer-report measures

Bullying represents a severe problem with possible short- and long-term consequences for bullying participants. However, the characteristics of these individuals are not entirely known and bullying roles are often ambiguous. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify latent subgroups of bullying participants by latent profile analysis, including both self- and peer-reports and to recognize the differences among the latent subgroups. The sample included 1,905 elementary school students (49.9 % boys, Mage = 12.8, SD = 1.2). The latent profile analysis revealed five profiles according to their degree of victimization and/or bullying behavior: uninvolved students, self-reported uninvolved students, bullies, victims, and bully-victims. Victims and bully-victims reported the lowest peer support; in addition, bully-victims reported the lowest teacher support and the highest level of anger-related problems. Bullies were perceived as the most popular; victims and bully-victims reported the lowest social self-concept among all groups. Uninvolved students and self-reported uninvolved students differed in perceived popularity, anger control, peer- and teacher support. The results highlight the need to tailor interventions according to the subgroup of bullying participants to minimize unwanted behavior or offer additional support for victims.

Ethnic Minorities, Interstate War, and Popular Support for Fiscal Capacity Development

Do ethnic majorities and minorities have diverging preferences for fiscal capacity? Do these preferences converge during national emergencies such as interstate war? In this paper, we provide evidence from a natural experiment to demonstrate that politically salient minority-majority divisions undermine the development of fiscal capacity. In addition, we show that the pressure of interstate war is insufficient to supersede differences in support for the expansion of state’s capacity for taxation between majority and minority groups. More specifically, we employ a regression discontinuity design using a natural border that separates linguistic groups and municipality outcomes of a popular vote on the introduction of direct taxation at federal level in Switzerland during the First World War. The findings suggest that salient minority-majority divisions have a negative effect on the expansion of states’ capacity for taxation even during periods of interstate war.

What drives support for separatism? Exposure to conflict and relative ethnic size in Biafra, Nigeria

AbstractWhat determines support for separatist movements in Africa? The past two decades have seen a rise in separatism across Africa, including renewed Nigeria's Igbo Biafran nationalism. While a large body of work has focused on the behaviour of African separatist movements themselves, less work has examined the correlates of popular support for their claims and goals. This study does so, focusing on two important factors. First, it examines whether exposure to conflict events involving neo‐Biafran movements increases or decreases support for the claims made by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB). The study uses geo‐coded data from the Afrobarometer and ACLED datasets to measure proximate exposure and finds that more exposure correlates positively with support for secession. Second, it argues that the highest levels of support should be associated with members of ethnic groups that would dominate the proposed state. Drawing again from Afrobarometer, the study finds support for this.

Playbook of Subnational Illiberalism: Autocrats Face the Opposition-led Local Governments

Recognizing the growing tensions between autocrats in the center and opposition-led local governments in Hungary, Poland and Turkey since 2018–2019 local elections, the article contributes to existing literature on illiberal democracies with a subnational portion of illiberal playbook. Tactics identified through the detailed study of the European context and brief review of Latin American experience leaves us with the following categories in the playbook: abuse of (existing) supervisory and accountability mechanisms; generating of financial vulnerability; centralization (outright and indirect) and deconcentration. Each of these categories assemble various means evolving through application and reinterpretation of traditional rules pertaining to local government, as well as crisis-induced innovations. While the Polish account carries the optimism still that antecedent robust guarantees and popular support matter even when illiberals rule the center, the playbook proved successful in Hungary and Turkey. Although certain incrementalism stayed as the most vulnerable actors were the first victims of soon-to-be normalized measures, crisis in Hungary and Poland did stretch the limits to the point that ulterior motives of undermining opposition-led local governments became publicly observable. Reflecting on this phenomenon, in the end, the article poses a theoretical question whether such pretextual instrumentalization of law can itself be judicially manageable, at least in situations when clear political opponents are targeted.

A new form of anti-government resentment? Making sense of mass support for the Yellow-Vest Movement in France

ABSTRACT Anti-elite and anti-political resentment have become a permanent feature of political life in many if not most contemporary democracies, leading to support for populist parties, systematic anti-incumbent voting, and new types of movements, such as the Yellow Vests protests that shook France in 2018–2020. The aim of this paper is to explain the unusual popular support they mobilized. Going beyond the somewhat tautological “populist” label attached to the movement this paper proposes a class-based explanation. Using original data from a survey run after the European Elections of 2019, it shows that social precarity, combined with a lower /working class position, is the main driver of affinity with the YV. The movement is disproportionately supported by the most insecure segments of production workers (mostly men) and service workers (mostly women), giving an identity to those who feel excluded and not represented by mainstream parties and unions. This disaffected “precariat” can be seen as a magnifying glass of the crisis of political representation affecting most Western democracies. A reservoir of discontent that is here to stay and that the economic and political impact of the Covid-19 pandemic could revive.

Interpersonal-function topoi in Chinese central government’s work report (2020) as epidemic (counter-)crisis discourse

Abstract Using Systemic Functional Grammar and conceptual framework in the argumentation-oriented approach to discourse, this study analyzes Chinese central government’s “ Report on the Work of the Government” in 2020 (henceforth the Report) to explore the “interpersonal-function topoi” in the political discourse. The Report was delivered and issued against the backdrop of the surging covid-19 epidemic. This study first calculated the frequency of mood, modality and persons in the Report. The statistics were qualitatively analyzed in relation to various topoi-imagery of the crisis vis-à-vis representing the agency-reflected in the interpersonal metafunction of the language in the Report. These topoi play a vital role in winning popular support for the Chinese central government’s anti-epidemic measures and mobilizing the widest public into actions against the covid-19 pandemic. The analysis demonstrates how the analysis of interpersonal metafunction from an argumentation-oriented perspective can shed light on dealing with crisis discourse, especially in the pandemic settings.

Caudillos y plebeyos: La construcción social del estado en América del Sur (Argentina, Perú, Chile 1830–1860)

Caudillos y plebeyos: La construcción social del estado en América del Sur (Argentina, Perú, Chile 1830–1860)

Identity Authentication in Two-Subject Environments Using Microwave Doppler Radar and Machine Learning Classifiers

Identity authentication based on Doppler radar respiration sensing is gaining attention as it requires neither contact nor line of sight and does not give rise to privacy concerns associated with video imaging. Prior research demonstrating the recognition of individuals has been limited to isolated single-subject scenarios. When two equidistant subjects are present, identification is more challenging due to the interference of respiration motion patterns in the reflected radar signal. In this research, respiratory signature separation techniques are functionally combined with machine learning (ML) classifiers for reliable subject identity authentication. An improved version of the dynamic segmentation algorithm (peak search and triangulation) was proposed, which can extract distinguishable airflow profile-related features (exhale area, inhale area, inhale/exhale speed, and breathing depth) for medium-scale experiments of 20 different participants to examine the feasibility of extraction of an individual’s respiratory features from a combined mixture of motions for subjects. Independent component analysis with the joint approximation of diagonalization of eigenmatrices (ICA-JADE) algorithm was employed to isolate individual respiratory signatures from combined mixtures of breathing patterns. The extracted hyperfeature sets were then evaluated by integrating two different popular ML classifiers, k-nearest neighbor (KNN) and support vector machine (SVM), for subject authentication. Accuracies of 97.5% for two-subject experiments and 98.33% for single-subject experiments were achieved, which supersedes the performance of prior reported methods. The proposed identity authentication approach has several potential applications, including security/surveillance, the Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications, virtual reality, and health monitoring.