Power Authority Research Articles

Empowerment and Enlightenment: The Practical Dimensions of Civic Heritage Narrative

Since UNESCOs vision for developing civic engagement tools in heritage management in the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, civic engagement has been considered one of the most important ways to promote the sustainable development of heritage. However, two primary obstacles have consistently hindered its effective implementation: the subjugation of authoritative power by international heritage organisations or national governments and conflicts arising from divergent notions of heritage designation and management at the same hierarchical level due to varied heritage concepts. This paper seeks to advance research on the prevalent civic engagement practice of narrating personal heritage stories, with the objective of addressing these existing challenges and enhancing the effective scope of civic engagement within the heritage sector. Through the literature review, which encompasses a thorough examination of contemporary theory and the various case studies of heritage narrative, this paper reveals that civic storytelling practices possess two dimensions: the empowerment narrative and the enlightenment narrative. These two dimensions can significantly mitigate tensions within communities and citizen groups while simultaneously tackling the issue of bureaucratic hegemony over heritage perception. With the additional discussion of these two dimensions, this study proposes The Collaborative Framework of the Civic Heritage Narrative Cycle as a tool for helping planners to develop narrative practices and foster the sustained advancement of heritage within an environment that is more democratic and communicates narratives

Getting the numbers right: Power, creativity and 'good' routine maternal and neonatal health data in Southern Tanzania.

What makes routine maternal and neonatal health data to be 'good quality'? That depends on whom you ask - the people collecting and reporting these data across health system levels have different priorities and face varying constraints. Data are constructed by people, about people, and they both reflect and impact human interactions. This study analyses the power dynamics shaping how routine health data are collected and reported in labour wards of two hospitals in Southern Tanzania. We draw from focused ethnographic observation at these two labour wards and 29 in-depth qualitative interviews with health care workers (HCWs), hospital leaders, and relevant district- and regional-level managers. We distinguish between two different types of power that shape how people engage with routine maternal and neonatal health data: authoritative and discretionary power. Authoritative power, or top-down power 'over', is reflected in how maternal and neonatal health targets and measurement demands are imposed on individuals lower in the power hierarchy. We show how this results in an environment where data are seen as 'political things' and where HCWs feel pressured and fear being blamed for poor health outcomes. Yet, data can also be a means for HCWs to exercise discretionary power - a type of bottom-up power to act creatively to deflect scrutiny and protect themselves and others. Strategically handling and manipulating data, HCWs 'get the numbers right' by balancing their own needs, top-down expectations, and structural challenges. HCWs may hereby compromise their own definitions of 'good' data, and as as consequence, limit the usefulness of routine data to inform clinical decision making and health system planning. We underline the importance of supportive supervision, feasibility and perceived relevance of routine health data for those tasked to collect and report it, in order to better navigate the blurry line between constructive accountability and counter-productive pressure.

Lyčių lygybės komunikacija savivaldybėse Lietuvoje

Legal documents in Lithuania – the Law on Equal Opportunities, the Law on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, the Law on Local Self-Government, the Labor Code – establish the obligation to implement gender equality policy at the level of self-government. Municipalities, as providers of services to residents, must integrate the gender aspect into local self-government documents and ensure the implementation of gender equality principles in daily practices. However, as the results of previous studies show, these processes in municipalities take place slowly (if at all). Striving to contribute to the accumulation of knowledge about the situation of gender equality in municipalities in Lithuania and to take a deeper look at the communication processes within the municipality, the purpose of this paper is to describe the peculiarities of the gender equality communication in Lithuanian municipalities. Empirically, the paper is based on the analysis of the semistructured interview data collected in ten Lithuanian municipalities in 2019 by employing the discourse analysis approach. The analysis of the selected interview material showed that the discourse of gender equality in municipalities is developed by different “speakers” on the overlapping dimensions such as: organizational and individual communication, both of which can take formal as well as informal forms; information transfer vs. exchange of information; information as ground for action and ignorance information; etc. The results of the analysis prove that “talking” can both enable and block the action, and the fact that positions of authoritative power remain in the formal hierarchies of the institution in this communication indicates the need to look for additional measures for the effective implementation of gender equality.

“We were healers, witches, we were oracles.” Women’s Transformative Power in African Traditional Religions and African Initiated Churches

Abstract African Initiated Churches are often seen as bridge-builders between African Traditional Religions and Christianity – as those who attracted a lot of followers because they maintained elements of traditional African beliefs that were dismissed by missionaries. This paper investigates the relationship between African Traditional Religions and African Initiated Churches focussing on its impact on the roles of women. It finds that both restricting and liberating aspects are taken over from African Traditional Religions to present-day African Initiated Churches. The religious traditions can affirm each other to foster the exclusion of women. Yet they also give room to spiritual power and charismatic authority that women may gain through age, status and divine or ancestral calling. These attributes enable women to fundamentally transform their own situation – e.g. from sick social misfits to powerful leaders – as well as to denounce and challenge existing power structures in the wider community.

Green Wheels, Green Wallets: Exploring Electric Vehicles Adoption and Tax Compliance for Sustainable Urban Development In Indonesia

Objective: This study aims to shed light on the disciplinary penalties as a result of the default violation committed by a public employee while carrying out his job duties and know how the management authority, when supervising administrative work, assesses the severity of the electronic violation for sustainable development goals. Theoretical Framework: There are several designations to indicate the act committed by the public employee while carrying out his work electronically that makes him subject to punishment, such as the term disciplinary error, disciplinary crime, disciplinary guilt, etc. Method: The use of the descriptive approach and the analytical and comparative approach in this study. Results and Discussion: This study found principles governing violations and electronic disciplinary sanctions are the same as those found in their traditional counterparts, including the legality of disciplinary sanctions, the principle of proportionality between them, and others. Also, the assessment of the electronic administrative violation is carried out through the discretionary power of the disciplinary administrative authority, similar to that of traditional violations. Research Implications: The presence of the term “electronic administration" would cause the public employee to practice his work electronically, and this may result in the occurrence of a specific act of that employee that may affect his job duties. Originality/Value: The commission of a public employee for an electronic violation leads to imposing a penalty on him to deter him and prevent him from returning to committing it. That punishment affects his job position and may lead to the imposition of the maximum penalty, which is dismissal if the violation is of a high degree of seriousness or gravity.

Administrative Penalties for Electronic Administrative Work for Sustainable Development Goals: a Comparative Study

Objective: This study aims to shed light on the disciplinary penalties as a result of the default violation committed by a public employee while carrying out his job duties and know how the management authority, when supervising administrative work, assesses the severity of the electronic violation for sustainable development goals. Theoretical Framework: There are several designations to indicate the act committed by the public employee while carrying out his work electronically that makes him subject to punishment, such as the term disciplinary error, disciplinary crime, disciplinary guilt, etc. Method: The use of the descriptive approach and the analytical and comparative approach in this study. Results and Discussion: This study found principles governing violations and electronic disciplinary sanctions are the same as those found in their traditional counterparts, including the legality of disciplinary sanctions, the principle of proportionality between them, and others. Also, the assessment of the electronic administrative violation is carried out through the discretionary power of the disciplinary administrative authority, similar to that of traditional violations. Research Implications: The presence of the term “electronic administration" would cause the public employee to practice his work electronically, and this may result in the occurrence of a specific act of that employee that may affect his job duties. Originality/Value: The commission of a public employee for an electronic violation leads to imposing a penalty on him to deter him and prevent him from returning to committing it. That punishment affects his job position and may lead to the imposition of the maximum penalty, which is dismissal if the violation is of a high degree of seriousness or gravity.

Monumentality and Its Discontents

Connoting immensity of scale, the aura of power, and the ambition to create a highly visible presence and lasting legacy, monumentality was a cardinal attribute of British India's scopic regime and the self-legitimization of imperial rule. From the 1850s onward, monumentality was central to colonial photography, whether through the archiving of precolonial edifices or, increasingly, through the visual representation and reproduction of colonial public works and engineering projects. In focusing on hydraulic engineering, especially canal building and bridge construction, and by citing the work of Samuel Bourne and other colonial photographers including engineers, this article argues for the constitutive role of photography in the making of colonial monumentality, in the creation and circulation of monumental imagery, in pacification and memorialization, and in the exercise of hegemonic power and scalar authority. It assesses the practical as well as the polemical uses of monumental image-making, the transmissibility of images, and the scope photography allowed for, or denied to, monumentality's multiple “discontents” (its obstacles, antitheses, and subversions) and for alternative readings of monumental power.

공작새 상징에 대한 연구

This study aims to explore the universal symbolic meanings of the peacock by examining its ecological characteristics and its depictions in myths and legends, fables, literary works, religion, and art. Based on these considerations, the study seeks to understand the symbolic meaning of the peacock in sandplay therapy cases from an analytical psychology perspective. The symbolism of peacocks was considered in six aspects: sacredness, good fortune and wealth, beauty, power (power), healing and regeneration, and immortality, and we looked at how these symbols were expressed in the process of sand play therapy. As a result of examining the symbolism of peacocks in the sand play treatment case, In the first case an adolescent client who was emotionally influenced by a mother experiencing stress and depression during pregnancy expressed their fundamental and unconscious inner sanctity. In the second case, it appeared in terms of the colorful and imposing power latent in the unconscious, and the third case in terms of the authoritative power that wanted to show off the pride of the peacock with its wings wide open. The last case was a case of a single mother woman in her 20s, who expressed the possibility of a detoxification action that allowed peacocks to heal and regenerate diseases from the harms of poisonous insects or poisonous snakes. She also demonstrated the process of realizing the state in which her elegant and noble beauty could not spread her wings and was latent in the unconscious through the peacock. Clients experienced the process of consciousness while expressing various hidden instincts through the symbolism of peacocks in sand play therapy, and for counselors, it is a significant study from the perspective of deeper understanding, empathy, and acceptance of clients.

International trade and institutional quality in West African Economic and Monetary Union countries: A causality analysis

This study explores the intricate relationship between institutions and development, with a specific focus on the causality between institutions and trade in West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) countries. We examine this causality by separately analyzing manufactured goods imports and primary products exports to understand the sensitivity of each, treating these flows in value. Using panel co-integration, panel causality, and the Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) model over the period from 2002 to 2021, our findings indicate a bidirectional Granger causality between trade and institutional quality. The PPML results reveal a positive and significant effect of institutional variables on imports and a negative and significant effect on exports. This implies that the low quality of institutions in WAEMU countries is detrimental to their exports of primary products. Thus, a robust institutional context can generate positive spillovers on trade and proper trade can generate significant revenues to finance the establishment of good institutions. Productive and high-performance exporting companies need to create and strengthen good institutions to remain competitive in the international economy, rather than fortifying them for personal gain to leverage political power and decision-making authority.

Barriers and opportunities for the expansion of smoke- and aerosol-free environment policies in Europe.

Comprehensive legislation covering the use of all types of tobacco and nicotine products to provide a smoke- and aerosol-free environment (SAFE) should be part of strategies aimed at phasing out tobacco use. There is a need to identify challenges and opportunities for advancing SAFE policies and their implementation. This study aims to identify barriers and opportunities to extend, enforce, and comply with SAFE policies in Europe. Within the Joint Action on Tobacco Control 2, a cross-sectional expert consultation was launched in 2022. Data obtained through an online questionnaire including closed and open-ended questions on barriers, opportunities, and interference by the tobacco and/or nicotine industry (TNI) on the extension, and compliance with/enforcement of SAFE policies, were analyzed thematically and descriptively. From 29 European countries, 61 experts (response rate: 55.5%) were included in our sample. The most commonly identified barriers for the extension of SAFE policies were tobacco industry lobbying and funding activities, while the most commonly reported opportunity was extending SAFE policies to specific outdoor public or private places, especially where children are present. In terms of compliance with/enforcement of SAFE policies, the lack of human and financial resources and capacity to monitor/enforce compliance were the most commonly identified barriers, while opportunities included more powerful enforcement authorities with increased capacity. The experts identified greater TNI interference on the extension than on the enforcement of SAFE policies. Comprehensive regulation of TNI interference and allocation of human/financial resources for policy enforcement, should be a priority for the extension of SAFE policies in Europe.

Oligarchy of Power in The Management of C-Mine Resources in Noemuti, North Central Timor Regency

This paper raises the dynamics of oligarchic power relations in the management of C-quarry mining resources in the form of stone in Noemuti District, North Central Timor Regency. This research uses the oligarchy theory of Jeffrey Winters as a basis for analysis in looking at mining problems that seem to be deadlocked when dealing with power authorities in resource management in the regions. The practice of oligarchy in Winters' theory uses 5 main approaches. But in this paper, it only limits to two approaches, namely the concentration of wealth and the concentration of power. Facing the dynamics of oligarchy that strengthens in local resource governance, on the other hand, presents resistance from civil society to take part in the legitimacy of power in the context of equitable distribution of resource management policies. The practice of community resistance is based on Sidney Tarrow's theory of collective challenge, common goals, solidarity and collective identity and maintaining the politics of resistance.

Constitucionalismo transformador y derecho internacional de inversionesTransformative constitutionalism and international investment law

Abstract International investment law faces five core legitimacy challenges: the state-dependency challenge, the human and constitutional rights challenge, the equality challenge, the standard of protection challenge, and the investor state dispute settlement system challenge. This article endorses the claim that constitutional courts can contribute to the solution of those legitimacy challenges when they exercise the power to review the constitutionality of international investment treaties. From a transformative perspective, constitutional courts of host states can: (i) create public deliberation and raise awareness concerning the legitimacy challenges of international investment law; (ii) grant equal treatment to national and foreign investors; (iii) require governments to negotiate less open-textured provisions in international investment treaties; (iv) safeguard the protection of human and constitutional rights, and other common goods; and (v) raise due process, predictability, transparency, and proportionality standards concerning the investor state dispute settlement system. These judicial undertakings can strengthen the bargaining power of host executive branch authorities in the negotiation of international investment treaties and can narrow down the space of discretion of international investment arbitral tribunals. Both outcomes could render international investment treatises’ creation and enforcement more legitimate.

The Impact of Epistemological Beliefs and School Climate on the Sustainability of Critical Thinking Dispositions in Middle School Students

The objective of this study is to ascertain whether school climate and students’ epistemological beliefs serve as predictors of sustainable critical thinking dispositions in middle school students. This research is designed as a correlational study. A total of 585 students from four middle schools in Çanakkale, Turkey, participated in the research. To this end, the researchers administered the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale, the Middle School Students’ Epistemological Belief Scale, and the School Climate Survey, gradually collecting the raw data. Following the collection of the data, they were subjected to analysis using multiple linear regression. The results of the statistical analysis demonstrated that the students’ critical thinking dispositions were significantly predicted by both epistemological beliefs and school climate. In other words, belief in the omniscient power of authority and quick learning were found to have a negative correlation with critical thinking, whereas belief in simple knowledge was observed to have an inverse positive relationship. The dimension of the school climate, relating to positive student–teacher relations, appeared to constitute a prospective positive predictor, while authoritarian student–teacher relations and the lack of resources were identified as the main negative classroom environment factors. The study highlights the complex mutual influence of individual beliefs and the learning environment in the development of critical thinking dispositions.

Educational Diplomacy of Islamic Republic of Iran as the Soft Power Strategy in the Middle East

Nowadays, many countries are trying to increase their soft power authority using the university communication facilities. Educational exchanges and the creation of university branches in different parts of the world, especially in countries where there are common cultural fields, give these countries the opportunity to interact with elites and students expand their influence. The university sector, as the most important and effective branch in creating the future of a country, will have a great impact on understanding and cultural alignment between nations.In this regard, one of the important regions that have a lot of common cultural identity with the Islamic Republic of Iran is the Middle East region. This article aims to answer the question of how the Islamic Republic of Iran can use its academic capabilities as the educational diplomacy in order to promote its position as soft power in the Middle East. Accordingly, Iran can use the cultural capacities, the Persian language, the common background of civilization and the capability of its higher education, especially in the field of university exchanges to empower its soft power authority in the region.

Anayasa Değiştirme İktidarının Sınırlılığı ve Meşruluğu

The powers that write constitutions from the very beginning are the constitution-making powers. It is not possible to make a new constitution when there is a constitutional order and an existing constitution. Especially the new constitution discussions that have been on the agenda frequently lately do not seem possible since the continuation of the existing constitution is in question. During an existing constitution and constitutional order, the constitution may undergo partial or complete changes. A complete change may have been permitted in a constitutional text and this authority may have been used by the amending power. This situation cannot be considered a new constitution under all circumstances. What is important here is the purpose and intention of the amending power in making the change. If this change in question is not made with the aim of establishing a new constitutional order, it is nothing more than the use of the amending power. However, if it is made with the aim of establishing a new constitutional order, the limit of the amending power will be exceeded and the amending power will attempt to transform into the constitution-making power. Considering that the amending power is a limited constitutional authority originating from the constitution, the change it will make should not create a new constitutional order and constitution. Within the scope of the study, the issue of the authority of the constitutional amendment power being a constitutional and limited authority will be discussed. The necessity and legitimacy of the limitation of the constitutional amendment power in terms of the constitution-making power being a constituent authority and the continuation of the constitutional order it has established will be examined. Keywords: Constitutional amendment, constituent power, limitations of the constitutional amendment power

The power of moral authority

Every era has its own spiritual leaders. One of the moral authorities of the nation in the second half of the 20th century was His Eminence Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevičius. His blessing supported the Church’s resistance to the restrictions on freedom of conscience during the Soviet years, the underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, the outbreak of the Sąjūdis reform movement, and the restoration of independence – the adoption of the Act of March 11.

Sex and Women in the Archive and New Imaginaries of Female Same-Sex Relations in the Late Nineteenth Century

The article aims to contribute to queer histories of marginalised people and those who have left behind limited traces. It analyses medical sources informing about female same-sex relations among poor and marginalised women in Copenhagen, Denmark, during the late nineteenth century. The medical sources repeatedly mention how women in prostitution engaged in sexual and romantic relations with one other. The article provides examples of how female same-sex relations were described as passionate and dramatic, as well as violent, and proposes an expanded notion of female same-sex relations to accommodate “grim” stories of intimate partner violence and death. Furthermore, the medical reports associated women’s relations with carnal sex, . Finally, the article suggests that it might not have been the gender of a woman’s same-sex partner but rather the woman’s sexual activity, that caused condemnation. As the medical sources are confined to inform about women’s encounters with power authorities, such as doctors and police, I employ “imaginary scenarios” (Hartman 2021) to be able to represent the same-sex relations in a more profound way.

Centering community and care: Enacting the Torres’ rights of the learner to support middle grades students in building collective responsibility in learning mathematics

ABSTRACT In this paper, we propose a teaching approach centered on community and care, aimed at fostering a democratic classroom environment. We highlight the communal co-creation of the Rights of the Learner (RoTL) as the foundation for establishing a shared responsibility atmosphere. Our interpretation of the RoTL challenges traditional power dynamics, control structures, and authority in educational settings, advocating for an environment of mutual respect and collective learning. This approach promotes a more inclusive learning environment, where responsibility is distributed among all classroom members, enhancing unity and collective investment in the learning process. We provide concrete classroom practices to illustrate the enactment of the RoTL by offering a practical approach for integrating community and care to transform teaching and learning of mathematics into a democratic, inclusive, and equitable community for all learners.

Examining teachers’ rhetorical choices

Abstract This study examines the role of disaffiliative reactions, specifically disagreement, in teacher-student interactions. Disagreement is often seen as confrontational and disruptive, but this research investigates whether it is a dispreferred act in these interactions. By analyzing teacher-student interactions and considering students’ final achievement scores, the study explores how teachers respond to students’ arguments. The paper specifically examines the context in which teachers contradict students’ arguments when requesting a reconsideration of their scores. While destructive responses are typically considered face-threatening, the findings suggest that they are the preferred linguistic behavior for teachers in these situations. This is because a constructive or affiliative reaction may potentially undermine the teachers’ fair assessment policy and authoritative power. The study also reveals that the severity of disagreements varies based on the tone of the students’ justifications. When students include compliments in their justifications, teachers tend to respond with mitigated disagreement, whereas openly critical justifications are more likely to elicit aggravated disagreement from teachers. The study illustrates that different cultures may have varying norms and expectations regarding disagreement and confrontational behavior.

Performance Analysis of a 50 MW Solar PV Installation at BUI Power Authority: A Comparative Study between Sunny and Overcast Days

Ghana, being blessed with abundant solar resources, has strategically invested in solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies to diversify its energy mix and reduce the environmental impacts of traditional energy technologies. The 50 MW solar PV installation by the Bui Power Authority (BPA) exemplifies the nation’s dedication to utilizing clean energy for sustainable growth. This study seeks to close the knowledge gap by providing a detailed analysis of the system’s performance under different weather conditions, particularly on days with abundant sunshine and those with cloudy skies. The research consists of one year’s worth of monitoring data for the climatic conditions at the facility and AC energy output fed into the grid. These data were used to analyze PV performance on each month’s sunniest and cloudiest days. The goal is to aid in predicting the system’s output over the next 365 days based on the system design and weather forecast and identify opportunities for system optimization to improve grid dependability. The results show that the total amount of AC energy output fed into the grid each month on the sunniest day varies between 229.3 MWh in December and 278.0 MWh in November, while the total amount of AC energy output fed into the grid each month on the cloudiest day varies between 16.1 MWh in August and 192.8 MWh in February. Also, the percentage variation in energy produced between the sunniest and cloudiest days within a month ranges from 16.9% (December) to 94.1% (August). The reference and system yield analyses showed that the PV plant has a high conversion efficiency of 91.3%; however, only the sunniest and overcast days had an efficiency of 38% and 92%, respectively. The BPA plant’s performance can be enhanced by using this analysis to identify erratic power generation on sunny days and schedule timely maintenance to keep the plant’s performance from deteriorating. Optimizing a solar PV system’s design, installation, and operation can significantly improve its AC energy output, performance ratio, and capacity factor on sunny and cloudy days. The study reveals the necessity of hydropower backup during cloudy days, enabling BPA to calculate the required hydropower for a consistent grid supply. Being able to predict the daily output of the system allows BPA to optimize dispatch strategies and determine the most efficient mix of solar and hydropower. It also assists BPA in identifying areas of the solar facility that require optimization to improve grid reliability.