Positions Of Authority Research Articles

The moral dilemma of obstetric violence: A meta-synthesis.

Although the global healthcare system is paying increasing attention to obstetric violence, this form of gender-based violence during childbirth remains a serious issue. The primary objective of this comprehensive study is to explore the experiences and needs of women subjected to obstetric violence on a global scale. A systematic search was conducted in December 2024 across the Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and CINAHL databases to identify eligible studies. Data synthesis was performed using the three-stage thematic and content analysis method. A total of 39 eligible qualitative studies were included in this review. Thematic synthesis identified 6 themes and 17 sub-themes: (1) Obstetric Violence Types; (2) Gaslighting Effect: The Authoritative Position of Healthcare Providers; (3) Stigmatization and Discrimination Experienced by Women; (4) Who is Normalizing Obstetric Violence? (5) Substandard Medical Institutions; (6) Trauma Induced by Obstetric Violence. Obstetric violence continues to persist in various countries and regions. Women have endured various forms of obstetric violence, with their autonomy and rights to informed consent being severely compromised. They have experienced neglect and abandonment by healthcare providers, and face discrimination and differential treatment due to factors such as race, socioeconomic status, age, and culture. The primary cause of obstetric violence is the unequal power dynamics between healthcare providers and women, with the authoritative position of healthcare providers leading to a lack of communication and recognition between both parties.

Women's Empowerment: A Multidimensional Approach to Gender Equality

Empowering individuals and groups with the power, agency, and prestige to affect their sociopolitical surroundings is transformative. This paper's exploration of its many facets highlights the importance of women's empowerment in education, healthcare, politics, entrepreneurship, corporate leadership, and media representation. Systemic obstacles prevent women from fully participating in economic and decision-making processes, notwithstanding significant progress. A key component in giving women the information and abilities they need to confront gender inequality and bring about social change is education. Similarly, women's ability to take charge of their reproductive health and general well-being depends heavily on their access to high-quality healthcare. Achieving political empowerment is still crucial, and affirmative action laws help to increase the number of women in positions of authority. Additionally, women's self-sufficiency and financial stability are promoted via economic independence through company leadership and entrepreneurship. Breaking stereotypes and advancing inclusive narratives depend heavily on how the media shapes gender attitudes. Sustainable empowerment requires a multifaceted strategy that addresses systemic injustices and encourages women's agency. Societies may unleash women's potential and promote global equitable development and economic prosperity by cultivating an inclusive socio-political framework.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

The article examines the psychological aspects of leadership and management in public administration within the context of the reforms taking place in Ukraine. The author describes how public administration in the context of the reforms taking place in Ukraine requires creative, proactive managers-leaders who are able to work effectively in the face of change, set goals and propose ways to implement them, and establish effective communication with subordinates and citizens. It is the demand for managers-leaders that highlights the problem of leadership and the manager-leader who not only possesses leadership qualities, but also the ability to easily adapt to changes in the situation, a creative approach to work, and the ability to make predictions. It is determined that the concepts of «leadership and management» characterize the interpersonal interaction between the manager and the team, which occurs in a specific management situation. It is revealed that leadership is a way of organizing power within a group, when a group member, in particular the leader, unites the group and directs its actions, influences it while management is a formal position of authority held by a leader. It is determined that management, in contrast to leadership, characterizes the formal power position of a manager, which is unrelated to his or her personal qualities. It is noted that effective management can only be carried out through leadership. It is substantiated that leadership and management in public administration characterize the intra-group work of a manager-leader, as well as his/her ability to organize the work of the team in the context of social reforms taking place in society. It is emphasized that the complexity of the management process requires managers-leaders of a new formation who are cable of being agents of change, able to mobilize employees and resources to solve various and complex problems, take responsibility and direct the activities of subordinates to achieve the goals set for the organization. In further research, it is proposed to focus on developing effective methods and tools for adequately identifying potential leaders in public authorities and organizing a system of their professional training and personal development.

Case studies of health-impaired prime ministers in Aotearoa New Zealand

In this viewpoint we consider brief case studies of four former Aotearoa New Zealand prime ministers whose poor health impaired their decision making. Two of them died in office—Michael Joseph Savage (leader for 1935–1940) and Norman Kirk (1972–1974)—while a third, Joseph Ward (1928–1930), died shortly after his resignation from his position. The fourth, Robert Muldoon (1975–1984), drank heavily at critical times during his prime ministership. We suggest that further New Zealand research on health-impaired leaders is justified, and discuss possible system improvements that can help to recognise when leaders become incapable or even need, if possible, to be removed from any position of authority.

Explicit Authority and Implicit Dharma: Negotiating Buddhism in Finnish MBSR Teacher Training

ABSTRACT The article explores the role of Buddhist teachings and authorities in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) teacher training. Based on ethnographic data from Finland, it goes beyond the dominant focus on texts, figureheads, and Anglo-American contexts in the study of contemporary mindfulness. The article shows that both the historical Buddha and specific contemporary Buddhist teachers, texts, and communities may hold important positions of authority in MBSR teacher training. Due to the formal status of Buddhist retreat centres in the standard structure of MBSR teacher education, the institutional boundaries between contemporary Buddhism and MBSR training overlap. However, explicit discussions on Buddhist concepts, ontology, and ethics are rare in the ethnographic data, with the notable exception of poetry, which is directly linked to the dharma foundations and existential dimensions of the programme. In negotiations of Buddhism and religion, the modernist discourse of ‘scientific Buddhism’ is central in constructing MBSR training as non-religious but still true to the teachings of the historical Buddha.

Impersonation From An Islamic Sharia Perspective And Its Impacts On Health And Sustainable Development

The research aimed to define the crime of impersonation from an Islamic Sharia perspective, its ruling according to Islamic jurisprudence, its penalties, and to articulate its impacts from both the Sharia and legal perspectives. The study employed a descriptive methodology, relying on an analytical approach, and yielded several significant findings, including: Impersonation involves using someone else's identity for fraudulent purposes, such as accessing confidential information or acquiring properties that do not belong to the perpetrator. The manifestations of impersonation include using false names or titles to usurp others' rights. The Saudi law specifies conditions unique from other systems, including that the impersonated identity must belong to individuals in positions of authority, such as security personnel, military personnel, politicians, or well-known public figures. Under Islamic Sharia, impersonation is strictly forbidden as it can cause harm to the impersonated individual and might allow the perpetrator to gain undeserved benefits. The penalties for impersonating an ordinary person differ from those for impersonating a military figure in Saudi law, with penalties varying based on the severity of the crime and its negative consequences. Causes for exemption from penalties for the crime of impersonation under Islamic Sharia include death, repentance, pardon, and statute of limitations. The crime of impersonation has a detrimental impact on the economy and sustainable development. RESEARCHERS RECOMMEND Exercise caution in dealing with individuals due to the prevalence of impersonation cases. Impose stricter penalties on those impersonating others.

“Okay We’re Doing My Idea”: How Students Enact Epistemic Agency and Power in a Design-Based Engineering Context

Science and engineering practices are intended to engage students authentically in the work that scientists and engineers do in order to provide opportunities for meaningful engagement in disciplinary work, including design-based learning. Meaningful engagement, particularly for sensemaking purposes, requires a shift in who is leading the classroom community’s intellectual work, from the teacher to the students. When students are positioned with the intellectual responsibility of producing and evaluating ideas, there is potential for them to act with epistemic agency. Enacting epistemic agency involves socially negotiated framing and power dynamics. The purpose of this study is to determine the ways in which gendered power dynamics influence the negotiation of epistemic agency in a design-based learning context. Using a qualitative case study methodology, student negotiations of epistemic and positional framing from a mixed-gender group were observed. Transcripts from their discourse during two design challenges were mapped, and focal group interviews were holistically analyzed to understand students’ perceptions and navigation of epistemic and positional framings in a design-based learning context and to understand how power dynamics influence these negotiations. Students understood the epistemic goals of the design challenges to involve designing solutions to real-world problems. During the first challenge, the group distributed positions of epistemic authority among the members. However, the group experienced a change in composition, resulting in changed power dynamics and epistemic oppression. These findings have implications regarding the critical impact that classroom culture and interactional practices might have on students’ epistemic agency, especially considering their multiple identity markers.

Violence facing nurses and the threats they pose to autonomy and justice.

Nurses experience various types of violence in healthcare. This violence can be perpetrated by doctors, other nurses, patients, and their families, as well as other members of the healthcare team. While traditionally thought of as physical, violence may also be non-physical, that is, verbal, emotional, and psychological in nature. In this paper, we outline three categories of violence experienced by nurses: vertical, lateral, and angular. When violence occurs by someone in a position of authority like physicians, it is vertical, when occurring by someone in an equal position like other nurses, it is lateral, and when violence occurs by someone in an adjacent position like patients, it is angular. Violence may carry violations of autonomy and justice for nurses. Autonomy and justice are two principles of healthcare ethics, which have traditionally been applied primarily to patients. We expand the application of these principles to healthcare workers and highlight how violence obstructs autonomy and justice for nurses. Some instances of violence obstruct autonomy by undermining nurses' everyday decision-making while aggregate violence obstructs autonomy by causing some to leave the field altogether. Some instances of violence violate justice by undermining nurses' epistemic capacities while others concern unfairness produced by unjust distributions of resources.

Barriers and facilitators in implementing interdisciplinary play-based assessments in kindergarten: a Danish abductive study

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to examine the implementation of an interdisciplinary collaboration between health nurses and kindergarten pedagogues within a health promotion intervention designed to reduce health inequality among children. The collaboration took place during group- and play-based assessments of motor development in 4-year-olds. A total of 12 participant observations and 10 interviews (5 with health nurses and 5 with pedagogues), were used to explore the collaborative challenges and strengths. Through abductive analysis we examined four analytical themes: 1. The various roles assumed by the professions, 2. Their differences in motivation, 3. The professions’ attitude toward each other and the collaboration, and 4. Diverse expectations regarding responsibility and follow up. These themes collectively offer insights into interdisciplinary collaboration in the context of health promotion and play-based assessments. The findings reveal differences in professional status and roles, with the health nurses assuming authoritative positions while the pedagogues adopt more assisting roles. Ambiguity regarding follow-up responsibilities furthermore emerges, potentially undermining the professionalism, empowerment and agency of the pedagogues. The study suggests future interventions to consider equity and professional recognition to enhance collaboration quality and implementation effectiveness.

SEX ROLE ORIENTATION AND CAREER SPECIALIZATION AMONG FEMALES ON MANAGERIAL POSITIONS IN NIGERIA

Sex role attributes and orientation are influenced by societal socialization and tendencies and individuals pick cues related to such as they may with varied intervening variables. Such variables could be level of education, parental background , peer influences , school type influences amongst others. In almost every society sex role attributes is a determinant of many things for individuals and societies. Career choice for many may not be an easy choice to make especially for individuals who may be stereo-typical gender wise . It thus seem probable that there could be influences on gender beliefs and career choices especially where some careers are perceived as masculine and majorly for males or feminine and mainly for females. The present study sought to find out if females holding high positions of authority could be said to be stereotypical or otherwise as regards sex and gender role orientation and how that relates or not to career choice and area of specialization

Leadership development programs in healthcare organizations: What they are and how to assemble them.

In the highly competitive, perennially-changing healthcare industry, management prowess is vitally needed by those in positions of authority, but in isolation it is insufficient for delivering optimal results. Instead, management proficiencies must be complemented by leadership skills which amplify managerial efforts and outcomes. One avenue for building leadership acumen in healthcare organizations involves the establishment of leadership development programs. These programs generally assemble a range of opportunities permitting managers to learn about leadership and acquire associated proficiencies. Leadership development programs afford many benefits for healthcare providers, but in order to capitalize fully, thoughtful assembly is required. To shed light on this important topic, this article provides an overview of leadership development programs, noting a formal definition, stipulating associated benefits, and discussing options for assembly, all through the lens of Willis Knighton Health's leadership development initiatives and experiences.

Book Review: The Palgrave handbook of crisis leadership in higher education

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was working in a public university in Wuhan, China. As the global crisis unfolded, I saw firsthand how higher education institutions responded to unprecedented disruptions. With the urgent shift to emergency remote teaching, challenges in institutional governance, and widespread uncertainty of the pandemic’s trajectory, academic leaders and community faced enormous pressures. My own experience of being confined to China during this period afforded me a unique perspective on how institutions struggled to maintain educational continuity while managing the multifaceted challenges of the crisis (see Tang & Liu, 2022). These observations deepened my understanding of crisis leadership in higher education, especially as it pertains to institutional adaptability, resilience, and the strategic foresight required to lead our way through crises effectively. While crisis leadership can be viewed through many lenses, I find the framework proposed by the editorial team of The Palgrave Handbook of Crisis Leadership in Higher Education – Dr. Jürgen Rudolph, Dr. Joseph Crawford, Dr. Choon-Yin Sam, and Shannon Tan – particularly compelling; not mentioning that the editors are all multi-disciplinary experts and frontline academics in management, leadership, higher education policy and practices. They argue that crisis leadership in higher education is not always tied to formal titles or positions of authority. Instead, it revolves around the actions of individuals at every level – those who step up, influence, and inspire positive responses during times of crisis (Rudolph et al., 2024, pp. 7-8). Whether it was pivoting to online platforms overnight or supporting faculty and students through the emotional and logistical upheaval of lockdowns, the need for strategic, compassionate, and agile leadership became clear. At its core, true crisis leadership is about cultivating an environment where everyone feels empowered to contribute, creating a sense of psychological safety, and transcending the traditional boundaries of institutional hierarchies. It is within this framework that I approached this edited book. This timely volume addresses a broad range of crises – financial, political, environmental, and technological – and presents global case studies that offer critical insights into leadership strategies. As someone who has witnessed the direct impact of crises on higher education. I found the thematic structure of this handbook especially relevant. Each chapter rigorously explores the intersection between crisis leadership and institutional survival, demonstrating how crises like the COVID-19 pandemic or those brought upon by generative artificial intelligence (AI) serve not only as challenges but also as potential catalysts for innovation and systemic reform. In addition to the opening chapter, this handbook encompasses nine thematic chapters (Chapters 2-10) and 23 chapters that explore global case studies (Chapters 11-33) featuring some underrepresented countries or regions in the established literature such as Cambodia, Ghana, Papua New Guinea, and Uzbekistan. The topics that contributors have delved into are structured around leadership models, financial sustainability, digital transformation, social justice and equity, global and regional responses, and environmental sustainability. Due to its exhaustive content, this handbook would be of great interest to academic researchers, teaching practitioners, policy makers, institutional leaders as well as a broader international audience who seek a thorough and practical reference for future crisis handling in higher education.

Decolonising anime studies: a prolegomenon

This paper argues that the field of Anglophone anime studies is not free from decolonisation issues that warrant evaluation, especially from the viewpoint of Orientalism proposed by Edward Said. Although more than two decades have passed since anime became a popular subject for research and teaching in Anglophone higher education institutions, critical writings in the field are yet to fully examine the impact of Orientalism on the ways in which they try to make intellectual sense of this area of Japanese visual culture. This paper argues that the field of Anglophone anime studies should itself be scrutinised in relation to how it canonises a specific ‘style of thought’ (as Said terms it) in understanding anime at the expense of anime itself, against the background of its (colonial) power over intellectuals and primary sources in Japan/ese. Reviewing the major ‘canonical’ Anglophone texts in the field from the viewpoint of Orientalism, this paper highlights that the issue of Orientalism remains an ‘elephant in the room’, that is, the issue is still persistently at work in the field, even as the field itself disavows it as a critical, or even relevant, issue for Anglophone anime studies. Reflecting ethno-autobiographically on the author’s own complexly liminal experience of navigating his academic career through Anglophone and Japanophone academia, the paper further reveals how this Orientalist ‘style of thought’ subtly executes its disciplinary power over academics as they try to secure their intellectual as well as professional positions in the field of Anglophone anime studies, and, in doing so, how the field normalises the style’s position of authority by appointing it, arbitrarily, as a ‘sophisticated’ approach towards anime.

Utilizing technology in health literacy to advance patient-doctor communication for better health outcomes

The paper explores the dynamic connection between patients and doctors, emphasizing the crucial importance of technology utilization, medical knowledge and the need for a two-way communication into cognizance – all in a bid to promote favorable health outcomes amongst individuals. Over time, it has always been a no-brainer for health practitioners to assume a position of authority in a one-way flow of communication with patients, passing information conclusions regarding their patients without consulting them. On the other hand, collaborative decision-making and patient empowerment are prioritized in modern healthcare models. The study emphasizes the value of health comprehension, which enables people to successfully understand and apply critical health information. It investigates the relationship between enhanced patient satisfaction and better health outcomes and patient-centered participation and cooperative decision-making. Research indicates that individuals possessing sufficient knowledge about health exhibit greater contentment with medical treatments and engage actively in the decision-making procedures. In its conclusion, it makes the case for a patient-centered care philosophy that is holistic in nature, highlighting the moral underpinnings of medicine as well as the changing goals of a highly developed and customer-focused healthcare system.

Ambition and Competition among Hindu Bengali Elites in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Calcutta

In eighteenth- and nineteenth-century urban colonial Calcutta, Hindu Bengali gentry celebrated numerous festivals at home, including Rathajatra, Doljatra, Jagaddhatri Puja, and Kali Puja, and even marked the birthdays and weddings of their pets with grandeur. Durga Puja, held in autumn, stood out as the most elaborate and significant. It provided affluent Bengali families with a chance to display opulence by hosting lavish gatherings and inviting prominent Europeans to their newly built mansions. Competition among them was fierce to showcase their wealth and status. For many of these families, Durga Puja was not just a personal celebration but also a means of cultivating relationships with British and other European residents who held positions of authority or influence, by which they sought to elevate their social standing and prosperity.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR NON TRADITIONAL MARITIME SECUIRTY

The discussion that arose around the Security Studies study area following the conclusion of the Cold War provides a useful foundation for understanding this intellectual tradition. "Military power is the central focus of the field," according to Stephen Walt, who was merely restating the discipline's conventional wisdom. Walt contended that despite efforts to broaden the definition of security, the subject would not benefit from losing its "intellectual coherence," given its sensitivity to the internal reasoning behind the field's development. His warning to scholars in the domain to furnish the prerequisites of the scientific canon demonstrated his devotion to science as a philosophical approach to study political life. This was seen as a call for "public documentation of theoretical and empirical claims, unbiased measurement of critical concepts, and careful and consistent use of terms."1 Thus, the demands of Security Studies were understood to expressly legitimise a pragmatic instrumental social engineering tendency. Since state survival was ultimately what mattered, the national security issue remained at the centre of the endeavour. Walt thought that people who oppose constrictive security measures should likewise direct their investigation towards this goal, rather than only those in positions of authority. In order to grasp his perspective on this issue, it is helpful to note that '[t]he steadfast conviction that those opposed to war ought not to research Comparing national security to trying to treat cancer by not studying medicine and letting tobacco firms be the only ones conducting research on the illness. Walt effectively indicates that it is worthwhile to investigate other perspectives on security, but he ultimately returns to his main concern of "under what conditions should states employ military force and for what purposes?" Keywords: Theoretical framework, non-traditional maritime security threat

Co-creating with teachers during participatory action research: Teachers’ perceptions, researchers’ dilemmas, and some possible strategies to enhance communication in the field

The study explores teachers’ perception of the level of involvement of academic researchers in participatory action research and outlines some possible strategies to enhance communication during the process of co-creation. Data were collected within a pilot action that involved 159 pupils and 16 teachers in a preschool and a primary school in Italy. Throughout the research process, researchers tended to limit their direct interventions in the planning and implementation of the activities in order to avoid surreptitiously shaping the activities from their epistemically authoritative position. This choice was effective in promoting teachers’ and children’s ideas and resulted in a set of activities that positively impacted everyday school life. However, the analysis of the post-hoc interviews illustrates that several teachers evaluated this posture negatively. It is argued that these negative evaluations point to a dilemma that researchers inevitably face when adopting a methodological framework based on co-creation. On the basis of this critical appraisal of teachers’ perceptions, the article outlines some implications for researchers’ professional practice and some possible strategies to improve communication in the field.

Post‐Christendom Ignorance in Secular Society

ABSTRACTIn banning religious symbols for civil servants in a position of authority, Québec's laicity law disproportionately burdens religious minorities. Nevertheless, politicians seem to somehow avoid this problem, and the law is largely supported by the population. This insensibility to religious discrimination calls for an explanation. I argue that part of the explanation for this unequal treatment of religion in secular society lies in active religious ignorance. Drawing a parallel from how white ignorance functions to protect racial inequalities, I argue that a kind of active ignorance in the religious domain – that I name post‐Christendom ignorance – makes it difficult to comprehend alternative understandings of religious experience and allows the majority to deny its religious positionality. Applying this framework, I criticize Québec's laicity law for wrongfully relying on inadequate hermeneutical resources about religion. Further, the failure to see that targeting only religious symbols worn by individuals is discriminatory is the result of the epistemic vice of closed‐mindedness. This article aims to show how religious persons in secular society can suffer hermeneutical wrongs because of their religious identity, and it aims to show that this injustice in the epistemic domain can help explain the unequal treatment of religious minorities while providing grounds for criticism.

If My Hate Disturbs You . . .

Abstract: This essay explores the idea of hatred towards another and the right to be able to express that hatred. More specifically, the hatred felt by the writer while under Israeli occupation and the life and restriction he endured. The position of denying one of their ability to express hatred and taking the position of authority and domination is explored. Also, the author speaks of his personal experiences when faced with members of the oppressive body. Through personal anecdotes, he also explains how decisions and outcomes of his interactions with the hated group has caused self-hatred.

Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparative Analysis of a Rural and Urban Area in Ekiti State

Globally ubiquitous, violence against women is a general threat that is often recognized by the victims' loved ones. Men in positions of authority, acquaintances, lovers, and other companions are all possible abusers. However, women are more susceptible to victimization at the hands of an intimate partner. Because of the topic's delicate nature, intimate partner violence is generally underreported; occurrences of such violence are typically not reported to the appropriate authorities. The study examined the prevalence of intimate partner violence in Ado-Ekiti and Ilogbo Ekiti which is a representation of a rural and urban area in the State. The study was carried out on 400 selected respondents in total, 200 respondents in each of the study areas. Data was collected through semi-structured questionnaires using the purposive sampling technique on 400 married respondents. The findings revealed that one out of every two (56%) respondents in the urban area had experienced intimate partner violence however the same could not be said about the rural area where (28%) had had the experience. The further revealed economic stress to be the most potent factor (70%) causing intimate partner violence in the urban area while patriarchy and rigid cultural practices are most cited (63%) in the rural area. In summary, the findings showed emotional pains as the highest consequence (62.5%) of intimate partner violence in the urban area and deteriorating physical health (68.5%) in the rural area Consequently, the study recommends prompt speaking up by abused persons to relevant authorities; training and re-training of agencies who receive intimate partner violence complaints on globally acceptable gender-based response(s), especially in the rural areas.