Dimensions Of Power Research Articles

A head‐to‐head comparison of situational judgment tests and assessment centers for measuring and predicting the same performance dimensions

AbstractTo date, a limited set of studies have compared the criterion‐related validity of low‐fidelity (SJT) versus high‐fidelity (AC) simulations for predicting job performance. Unfortunately, these studies validated these simulations through the overall assessment rating (OAR) instead of on the basis of specific dimensions. Given SJTs and ACs were compared that measured different dimensions, our understanding of the relative and comparative validity of these assessment approaches in measuring the same set of dimensions is still limited. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a head‐to‐head comparison of the criterion‐related validity of the AC and the SJT (and their incremental validity) while keeping the performance dimensions under investigation constant. Data were collected from 406 applicants for supervisory and management positions in a large Iranian steel industry company. In this process, a general mental ability test, a personality inventory, an SJT, and an AC were used as predictors, and supervisory ratings of job performance dimensions (Thinking, Feeling, and Power) served as criteria. The AC had relatively high validity for all three dimensions, whereas the SJT had a similar validity only for the Thinking dimension. So, the SJT was significantly weaker in assessing the Feeling and Power dimensions. These results were confirmed by incremental validity analyses. Overall, this study shows that understanding the relationships between predictor and criterion dimensions plays a critical role in developing valid selection systems.

The face pareidolia illusion drives a happy face advantage that is dependent on perceived gender.

The happy face advantage, the faster recognition of happy than of negative, angry or fearful, emotional expressions, has been reliably found and is modulated by social category cues, such as perceived gender, that is, is larger on female than on male faces. In this study, we tested whether this pattern of results is unique to human faces by investigating whether ambient examples of face pareidolia can also evoke a happy face advantage that is dependent on perceived gender. "Face pareidolia" describes the illusion of facial structure on inanimate objects, such as a tree trunk or a piece of burnt toast. While it has been shown that these illusory faces have expressions that can be recognized by participants, it is unknown whether they drive the same behavioral biases as real facial expressions. Thus, we measured the speed and accuracy with which the expressions of illusory faces that are perceived as female or male are recognized as happy or angry. We found a robust happy face advantage for illusory faces that were rated as more feminine in appearance. Concomitantly, we also found a robust angry face advantage for illusory faces that were rated as more masculine in appearance. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that illusory faces confer the same behavioral advantages as human faces. They also suggest that both perceived emotion and perceived gender are powerful socioevaluative dimensions that are extracted from visual stimuli that merely resemble human faces. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A Sociological Review of Gender-based Violence across the Globe

Gender-based violence is considered as a pervasive and widespread phenomenon which transcends into geographical, cultural and socio-economic boundaries and it affects individuals and communities worldwide. This paper tries to explores the intricate and multi-faceted nature of gender-based violence by delving into its prevalence, underlying causes and its wide-ranging consequences across the globe. At the outset, it is crucial to acknowledge that gender-based violence is not limited to any specific region or demography. The global scope and magnitude of this issue are staggering with millions of women experiencing violence or living with its consequences. Intimate partner violence, sexual abuse by non-intimate partners, trafficking, forced prostitution and exploitation of labor are some of the most common and severe forms of violence against women that are prevalent worldwide. Moreover, gender-based violence is not only found in the workplace since personal violence is deeply rooted in the very structure and power dimensions of the global economy. Underlying the pervasiveness of gender-based violence is the persistent gender inequality and power imbalances that exist within societies.

Sensing the structural and conformational properties of single-stranded nucleic acids using electrometry and molecular simulations

Inferring the 3D structure and conformation of disordered biomolecules, e.g., single stranded nucleic acids (ssNAs), remains challenging due to their conformational heterogeneity in solution. Here, we use escape-time electrometry (ETe) to measure with sub elementary-charge precision the effective electrical charge in solution of short to medium chain length ssNAs in the range of 5–60 bases. We compare measurements of molecular effective charge with theoretically calculated values for simulated molecular conformations obtained from Molecular Dynamics simulations using a variety of forcefield descriptions. We demonstrate that the measured effective charge captures subtle differences in molecular structure in various nucleic acid homopolymers of identical length, and also that the experimental measurements can find agreement with computed values derived from coarse-grained molecular structure descriptions such as oxDNA, as well next generation ssNA force fields. We further show that comparing the measured effective charge with calculations for a rigid, charged rod—the simplest model of a nucleic acid—yields estimates of molecular structural dimensions such as linear charge spacings that capture molecular structural trends observed using high resolution structural analysis methods such as X-ray scattering. By sensitively probing the effective charge of a molecule, electrometry provides a powerful dimension supporting inferences of molecular structural and conformational properties, as well as the validation of biomolecular structural models. The overall approach holds promise for a high throughput, microscopy-based biomolecular analytical approach offering rapid screening and inference of molecular 3D conformation, and operating at the single molecule level in solution.

Thinking and Unthinking the Present: Philosophy after Foucault

What might a contemporary philosophical practice after and following Foucault look like? After briefly analyzing Foucault’s rather ambiguous stance towards academic philosophy in his posthumously published Le discours philosophique, we argue for continuing his historico-philosophical practice of diagnosing the present. This means taking up his analytic heuristic (with its three dimensions of power, knowledge and subjectivity) rather than his more concrete diagnostic concepts and the specific historical results they yield. We argue that the common methodological operation on each of the three axis is to shift the perspective from the given legitimacies, norms, identities and selves to their historical, conflict-ridden emergence. Practicing philosophy in this way allows developing Foucauldian contributions in two contemporary philosophical debates: critical ontology and political epistemology. While ontology and epistemology might seem surprising fields to work in for philosophers inspired by and critically loyal to Foucault, we attempt to dispel these reservations and illustrate the stakes in both debates, pointing to the urgent issues of ecological questions and of the problematization of untruths in politics respectively.

Numerical investigation of the number of excitation elements-dependent acoustic field characteristics of a histotripter

Abstract Histotripsy is an emerging ultrasound technology for disintegrating various soft tissues noninvasively and accureately. However, it is difficult to characterize the acoustic field of a histotripter using the existing measurement methods (i.e., hydrophones) because of the damage potential of bubble cavitation on the sensing element under such high irradiation power. In this work, according to a quantitative relationship between the acoustic pressure and ultrasonic focusing gain G, nonlinearity β, attenuation coefficient α, a numerical reconstruction method is proposed to accurately and reliably estimate the acoustic field of a histotripter. The k-Wave toolbox was used to calculate the acoustic field produced from identical sectors on a common concave surface by gradually increasing the number of excitation elements (i.e., up to 256 that cover the whole surface). The excitation frequency is 0.8 MHz, and the initial pressure at the transducer surface is 0.4 MPa. The focusing gains, peak positive and negative pressure, positive to negative peak acoustic pressure ratio, and harmonic distributions in the focal region under different numbers of excited elements were analysed. It is found that when about a quarter of the transducer surface is excited (64 elements), the nonlinear effect becomes obvious, resulting in significant peak pressures and harmonics. Furthermore, the relationship between the positive and negative pressure peaks (p + and p ¬) and the number of excited elements fits a quadratic curve function quite well (R = 0.999). Altogether, the proposed method can be applied to estimate the acoustic pressure at an extremely high intensity that exceeds the range of current measurement apparatus. Acoustic pressures using a low number of excited elements are measured first and then extrapolated to the full surface coverage using the built-in regression models. In the near future, the field calculation scheme for the therapeutic focused transducers with higher irradiation power and larger dimensions, as well as experimental work, will be done to further validate our model.

Power in the future of work: production, reproduction, and reconstruction

Labour studies have always been concerned with power, so how do concepts of power inform an understanding of the future of work today? Luke’s Three Dimensions of Power reveals how past contests over the normative outcomes and policy choices of future labour also present for platform capitalism. But while modern conceptions of power capture the realignment of productivist power relations under rentier capital, they fall short in explaining the legacy of colonial capital on the future of work. Drawing on a wide range of post-colonial and post human literatures, structural power is shown to forget the futures of many exploited, dispossessed and subaltern workers where productive alliances may be formed. Understanding power in these terms also shows how power relations can be confronted and challenged in a post-productivist agenda that could inform new ways of understanding the future of labour.

Power and crisis: Bush’s war on terror, democratic rollback and the four dimensions of power

ABSTRACT Ironically, the mastermind behind 9/11, Osama Bin Laden, vowed to destroy the United States, and the executive branch of American government proved to be his accomplice in bringing this about with respect to American democracy. After the attack George W. Bush went well beyond constitutional constraints in statute and spirit in perpetrating his war on terror. American democracy recoils from the authoritarian machinations. This article tries to explain the power dynamics behind his political coup. It will evaluate how Bush subverted democracy in the US after the 9/11 crisis. It does so by casting light on how Bush employed levers of influence across the four principal dimensions or faces of power to implement his war on terror.

On being a ‘passive observer’: The corporeal and affective dimensions of power in observational research on trafficked women in criminal proceedings

In this article, I analyse the methodological issues that arise when I accept a judge's invitation to observe her hear women testify in criminal proceedings against their traffickers at the district courthouse in X, Germany. I develop a theoretical framework using Pierre Bourdieu's theory of embodied power and his methods of epistemic reflexivity and participant objectivation, and feminist engagements with affect theory. I use my fieldwork experience with a judicial gatekeeper and in conducting ethnographic observational research ‘behind the scenes of formal law’ to interrogate how bodies, emotions and affects inform power in the spaces of criminal law. Specifically, I approach bodies, emotions and affects as conceptual tools with which to interrogate how power transmits when I ‘enter’ and ‘read’ the field, and make claims to ‘know’ the subject under study. Core to my analysis is a critical process of self-reflection, through which I challenge the assumptions that underpin my assessment of my research participants’ ability to consent to participate in my study.

Traces of mobility in the landscape: creative possibilities of everyday heritage practice

This photo essay explores the notion of heritage landscaping as a creative space of radical possibility. In attempting to go beyond a ‘critical heritage examination’ of an iconic heritage artefact, the paper explores how transient traces of ongoing and situated practices of heritage landscaping might provide a means of commons possibility, as an open and inclusive space of sociality. Making room for temporal and spatial complexity and the voices of others, the paper sketches how radical landscape nostalgia might provide the basis for a form of heritage activism that can both critique existing dimensions of power and sketch a space of creative possibility for societal transformation.

The epistemic power of the police

This article uses movements against police brutality as a starting point to rethink our theorizations of police power, asking how the police maintain their dominance over oppressed groups, and what it takes to challenge it. I argue that an important, but undertheorized dimension of police power is epistemic power, the ability to control what is known and what remains unknown about policing practices. Epistemic power derives from (1) the police's control over the production and non-production of data about crime and policing; (2) the assumption that police officers are more credible than their targets; and (3) their privileged access to the media. Using France as a case study, I show how the police draw on epistemic power to produce ‘truth’ and manufacture ignorance about their practices, and I examine activist strategies to challenge and disrupt this power.

Health and social care integration: fixing a fixed service ecosystem for value co-creation

ABSTRACT In response to increasingly complex needs and tightening fiscal constraints, integration has led to changes in governance arrangements and joint service delivery. Applying a service ecosystem a holistic view is presented to discuss the interconnectedness between the domains of the health and social care ecosystem, including their unique and shared contexts and the various actors and institutions involved. However, our analysis also exposes important power dimensions regarding how the service ecosystem is framed and the actors acknowledged as involved in value co-creation. In response, three interdependent types of integration (structural, institutional, and relational) are proposed.

Understanding experiences of adverse digital incorporation of ridesharing drivers in Bangladesh

PurposeBangladesh recently experienced frequent demonstrations by drivers of ridesharing applications. Since the drivers are not excluded from the technology environment, rather they are a part of the digital ecosystem, these protests may point toward the existence of unequal interactional outcomes for different stakeholders afforded by the digital system within the country’s social and cultural contexts. This research is an attempt to unveil the reasons behind value inequality experienced by drivers of ridesharing applications in Bangladesh and understand how power asymmetries influence adverse digital incorporation that can result in the emergence of resistance.Design/methodology/approachWe obtain the data by conducting interviews with 91 drivers of ridesharing platforms in Dhaka, Bangladesh and analyze our data using thematic analysis. We propose an integrated framework unifying adverse digital incorporation (ADI) with the “powercube” model to illuminate our inquiry.FindingsWe find the existence of all three drivers to ADI – ignorance/deceit, direct compulsion and exclusion – exclusion being the most prevalent – that are experienced by the drivers of ridesharing applications in Bangladesh. We also find support for the four causes behind value inequality – design inequality, resource inequality, institutional inequality and relational inequality with the respondents placing the highest emphasis on relational inequality. There are visible, hidden and invisible forms of power involved in how the drivers are incorporated into the ridesharing platforms. The forms of power in the platform environment are exercised primarily in closed spaces and the invited spaces for the drivers are very few. The drivers in response to the closed spaces of power create their own space (claimed space) through the help of social media and other messaging apps. We also find that the power over the drivers is exercised at global, national and local levels.Practical implicationsOur research identifies norms specific to the social and cultural contexts of Bangladesh and can help decision-makers to make more informed choices during the formulation of future digital platform guidelines. Based on the research findings, the paper also makes short-term and long-term policy recommendations.Social implicationsThis research has implications for creating a decent work environment for ridesharing drivers which broadly falls under the Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8).Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that integrates the ADI model with the “powercube” framework to reveal that the drivers working on the ridesharing platforms in Bangladesh are adversely incorporated into the digital system where value inequalities are operating within the power dimensions.

Inequalities in the production and use of cement and concrete, and their consequences for decarbonisation and sustainable development

Concrete is vital for constructing infrastructure and housing, and cement is the key binding material within concrete. Concrete is an enabler of development, as concrete structures are key to delivering societal services in many sectors. Much recent research on cement and concrete has focussed on technical solutions to decarbonisation; however, there is a knowledge gap around how cement and concrete intersect with other facets of sustainable development. This study explores the intersection of cement and concrete with inequalities, both through their production as commodities and through their use in built assets. An exploratory analysis of this issue was carried out, comprising an evaluation of industry associations’ conceptions of sustainable development and inequalities, an analysis of underlying power dynamics for several inequality issues using Lukes’ three dimensional framework of power, and a reflection on how certain inequalities may pose risks to achieving decarbonisation and sustainable development aims. Our study shows that industry associations’ narratives around sustainable development generally lack a detailed vision for addressing inequalities, in comparison to their focus on decarbonisation. We find that inequalities are a systemic issue for cement and concrete, spanning intra- and inter-national scales, and all three dimensions of power. These findings highlight that several inequalities are consequential from structural, underlying inequalities, whilst other inequalities are specific to the sectors themselves. The cement and concrete sectors are recommended to develop their conception of inequalities in relation to sustainable development: this can help reduce inequalities within their own workforces more effectively, and also reduce the risks of missing their decarbonisation targets. For large, complex socio-technical systems, such as cement and concrete, it is vital for consideration of inequalities to inform strategic planning with regards to decarbonisation and sustainable development.

Advocacy coalitions, soft power, and policy change in Mexican electricity policy: a discourse network analysis

This research explores the influence of discourse power on policy change in the Mexican electricity sector, using the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). Drawing on Discourse Network Analysis, it examines the discursive dynamics and power relations between competing advocacy coalitions from 1994 to 2018. This 24-year period encompasses three significant reform proposals that aimed to liberalise Mexico’s electricity generation sector, representing major potential policy changes. Specifically, the study tests the second policy change hypothesis proposed by the ACF, which suggests that major policy change is unlikely as long as the advocacy coalition defending the status quo remains in power. To operationalise the notion of which coalition is in power, the study employs Discourse Network Analysis to examine the discursive power of each coalition. This allows an exploration of how the interplay between coalition discursive power and the extent of belief differences shape policy outcomes. The findings align with the ACF’s second hypothesis on policy change. They also suggest the potential for enhancing the ACF by incorporating a nuanced understanding of the multiple dimensions of power, with a particular emphasis on the discursive influence of advocacy coalitions.

Iran’s Foreign Policy Towards Iraq Post 2003

This article explores the nature of the fundamental variables that have significantly influenced Iranian foreign policy, focusing on its stance toward Iraq in the post-2003 era. Where the demise of the Baathist regime in Iraq presented Iran with an unprecedented and transformative opportunity to recalibrate its relations with a nation that had traditionally been perceived as one of its most formidable adversaries. Iran's ascension and its role as the primary foreign power broker in Iraq materialized through strategic leveraging of its extensive border with Iraq, coupled with its enduring relationships with influential Iraqi political figures, political factions, and various militant groups. This ascent was achieved by harnessing the dimensions of soft power, particularly in domains such as economics, religion, and the dissemination of information. Drawing from neo-realism, it suggests that nations should strengthen their economies, build domestic military capabilities, forge beneficial alliances, and pursue opposing actions on the global stage. According to this theory, Iran aimed to extend its influence in Iraq by supporting and empowering political and armed groups. Leveraging its extensive border and established relationships with Iraqi figures, parties, and armed groups, Iran has become the foremost foreign facilitator in Iraq. Its soft power, encompassing economics, religion, and information, played a crucial role in this expansion. Furthermore, Iran's involvement in Iraq was closely tied to its broader aspirations for a more prominent position in the Gulf region, aligning with its political, economic, military capabilities, and geopolitical significance.

Validation of a generic job satisfaction scale among libyan arabs: Exploring its association with mental health outcomes

BackgroundThe purpose of this research was to test psychometric proprieties of Macdonald & MacIntyre's Generic Job Satisfaction Scale (GJSS) between Arab workers. MethodThe study involved 171 participants (average age = 39.2 years; standard deviation = 9.76) from Libyan Territory, with 45 % being male. Using a cross-sectional design, the study employed the translated GJSS Questionnaire, the Conditions for Workplace Effectiveness Questionnaire-II (CWEQ-II), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-items (DASS-8). ResultsConfirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed a one-dimensional structure with a satisfactory fit. The scale showed positive correlations, indicating adequate convergent validity with CWEQ-II dimensions such as Opportunity, Support, Resources, Formal Power (Job activity), and Structural Empowerment, as well as negative correlations suggestive of discriminant validity with the DASS-8 dimensions. Reliability indices, α = 0.87 and ω = 0.88, suggest satisfactory internal consistency and composite reliability of the instrument. Notably, women exhibited higher scores in the Job Satisfaction scale, Opportunity, Support, Formal Power (Job activity scale), and Structural Empowerment dimensions of the Workplace Effectiveness scale. Conclusionthe adapted scale GJSS exhibits reliability and validity, rendering it suitable for use among Arab populations.

Exploring Teacher-Student Interaction in a Synchronous Online Modality: A Critical Discourse Analysis

The rise of online education, prompted by challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, has revolutionized the education landscape and challenged the traditional norms and communications that have characterized communication in the education sector. This research, drawing on the interplay between Critical Discourse Analysis and Sinclair’s IRF model, peers into how language power is played out in cyberspaces of a virtual classroom. The study traces language’s hidden yet palpable influence in shaping power relations through an examination of various online engagements. Findings from the study show that teachers use rhetorical questions and affirmations to guide discussions and retain power based on Sinclair’s IRF model. On the other hand, Wodak’s CDA framework brings out the hidden power dimensions that lie unnoticed in language, which seems inclusive but seeks control. The outcome confirms how language influences power dynamics when teachers use linguistic strategies to shape narratives and dictate conversations. The study reveals strategies instructors utilize in General Education courses at Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, Philippines. While appearing democratic, rhetorical questions and affirmations maintain the teacher’s authority as they help create an illusion of equality. The paper emphasizes the necessity of understanding language-power interplay in online education and advocates for including a course component devoted to language and power dynamics in teacher professional development programs. This awareness creates inclusive environments in online learning spaces where various voices are recognized, encouraging shared knowledge development. This research illuminates the intricate nature of language and power, laying the foundation for informed online learning teaching practices.

Escaping the politics trap: exercising collective power

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the EU’s deployment of EU collective power in response to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Collective power has two dimensions, the ‘power to’ and the ‘power with’, which translate into the power to get things done and the power to act in concert. These two dimensions of power are underpinned by a third dimension, discursive power. The analytical framework consists of two bundles of activity, agenda setting and problem recognition (the problem frame) and the development of policy solutions (the action frame). Agreeing a problem frame is a necessary but insufficient requirement for action which requires agreement among the member states on what they are prepared to commit to in terms of policy instruments. The paper concludes that the EU avoided a politics trap during these crises by reaching consensus on both the problem and action frames and were assisted in this by the emergence of three EU polity norms and the mobilisation of institutional capacity.

Power and space in a rentier state: The case of mega mall boom in Tehran, Iran

Space is intertwined with the exercise of power. While exertion of power in the production of space has been frequently studied in democratic political systems, little attention has been paid to non-democratic systems. This study aims to address this gap by focusing on the mega mall development process in Tehran. The study applies a four-dimensional view of power, including over, covert, latent, and disciplinary power, to investigate the exercise of power in the development of mega malls in Tehran. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach; data is collected through 48 semi-structured in-depth interviews and nine documents. The process of mega mall development in Tehran illustrates two levels of power dynamics. Firstly, powerful institutions emerge as winners while citizens lose out. This overt conflict involves monopolized decision-making and the rationalization and legitimization of ‘exceptions’, representing the covert and latent dimensions of power respectively. Secondly, the mega mall itself functions as a Panopticon by exerting disciplinary power. While power dynamics may share similarities across different systems, the distinctive aspect of mega mall development in Tehran lies in the monopolized process and pervasive perception manipulation as the key means of power exertion.