Previous Regime Research Articles

Toponymic renaming as a reflection of social cohesion and social justice in the City of Tshwane

ABSTRACT Recently, the concept of social cohesion has been increasingly used in the South African government and policy circles when discussing the challenges of social cohesion in a society deeply divided by race, class, and nationality. Related to this concept is the practice of naming and renaming places, precisely after regime change. Also known as a toponymic purge, new rulers change exisiting names to gian political legitimacy for their political values and to reflect the new socio-political order, rendering place names of the previous regime obsolete in the process. As a result, this paper analyses toponymic renaming as a reflection of social cohesion in the street renaming process of the City of Tshwane, South Africa. The paper uses a qualitative research approach and a case study design. A sample of 14 participants were puposively selected and data were technically analysed. The findings of the study revealed that the street renaming process accomodated Black people who had previously been marginalized. Therefore, Coloureds and Black participants believed that social cohesion and social justice had been accomplished through the process of renaming the streets. White participants, on the other hand, held a different perspective that the process did not contribute to social cohesion.

Limiting regimes of turbulent horizontal convection. Part 2. Large Prandtl numbers

Horizontal convection at large Rayleigh and Prandtl numbers is studied experimentally in a regime up to seven orders of magnitude larger in terms of Rayleigh numbers than previously achieved. To reach Rayleigh numbers up to $10^{17}$ , the horizontal density gradient is generated using differential solutal convection by a differential input of salt and fresh water controlled by diffusion in a novel experiment in which the zero-net mass flux of water is ensured through permeable membranes. This set-up allows us to accurately measure the Nusselt number in solutal convection by carefully controlling the amount of salt water exchanged through the membranes. Combined measurements of density and velocity across more than five orders of magnitude in Rayleigh numbers show that the flow transitions from the Beardsley & Festa (J. Phys. Oceanogr., vol. 2, issue 4, 1972, pp. 444–455), Shishkina & Wagner (Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 116, issue 2, 2016, 024302) regime to the Chiu-Webster et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 611, 2008, pp. 395–426) regime and frames the present results within the scope of Shishkina et al. (Geophys. Res. Lett., vol. 43, issue 3, 2016, pp. 1219–1225), and the theory of Part 1 (Passaggia & Scotti, vol. 997, 2024, J. Fluid Mech., A5). In particular, we show that, even for large Prandtl numbers, the circulation eventually clusters underneath the forcing horizontal boundary, leaving a stratified core without motion. Finally, the previous regime diagrams (Hughes & Griffiths, Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech., vol. 40, 2008, pp. 185–208; Shishkina et al., Geophys. Res. Lett., vol. 43, issue 3, 2016, pp. 1219–1225) are extended by combining the present results at high Prandtl numbers, the results at low Prandtl numbers of Part 1, together with previous results from the literature. This work sets a new picture of the transition landscape of horizontal convection over six orders of magnitude in Prandtl number and sixteen orders of magnitude in Rayleigh number.

Short-term soil fungal community dynamics following fire in mediterranean climate-type banksia woodlands

Fire is a dominant ecosystem process in many Mediterranean climate type ecosystems, and is predicted to increase in severity and frequency, shifting away from previous regimes in many regions. Responses of flora and fauna to fire are relatively well studied, but less is known about the responses of belowground microbiota. We quantified soil fungal dynamics over the first 12–15 months after fire, focusing on attributes of the fire regime (season, interval, severity). Soil samples were collected from three sites in a threatened woodland ecosystem in southwestern Australia, a Mediterranean-type climate region. Fungal taxa were identified via high throughput sequencing of the ITS subregion and taxonomy assigned using reference databases. Richness, diversity, abundance, community composition, and functional groups were quantified. Over the post-fire sampling period, richness and diversity declined and soil fungal community composition changed significantly throughout the sampling period, with family level taxa and functional groupings experiencing the most change. Through the sampling period, an increase in saprotrophic and endophytic fungi was observed, along with a decrease in all pathogenic fungi. We found that the post-fire fungal community is quite dynamic in the first 12–15 months after fire. We found little effect of fire interval or fire season, though our inference was limited. Our work contributes to putting belowground biota into the same conceptual frameworks as aboveground taxa and serves to inform fire managers in fire-prone Mediterranean climate type regions.

Managing the Discontent of the Losers Redux: A Future of Authoritarian Neoliberalism or Social Capitalism?

ABSTRACT: Neoliberalism eviscerated the value-sharing ethos of the postwar golden age (1945–1973), seeking to maintain social cohesion in civil society by "managing the discontent of the losers": reconciling working households to the realities of the neoliberal labor market by means of coercion, distraction, and debt accumulation (the last serving to limit the growth of consumption inequality in the face of burgeoning income inequality). The global financial crisis undermined the process of household debt accumulation, creating a crisis of neoliberal accumulation. Key to the institutional renewal required to address this crisis is managing the discontent of the losers inherited from the neoliberal era. One possibility is authoritarian neoliberalism, which involves amplification of the "coerce and distract" elements inherited from the previous regime. The alternative is social capitalism: a renewal of social democracy that eliminates the discontent of the losers and so reduces both the need and desire for illiberalism.

Impact of Exchange Rate Regime Change on Bangladesh RMG Exports to the USA and the EU

Abstract Bangladesh adopted floating exchange rate system in May 2003. After that regime change, the country has faced a relatively higher volatility of nominal exchange rate than previous regime. Economic theories on volatility suggests that trade flow is adversely affected in response of fluctuation of the exchange rate. Bangladesh is the second largest readymade garments (RMG) exporter in the world and it is the main export product of the country. In this research, Difference in Difference (DID) model introduced by Card and Krueger (1994) is used for the yearly data of 1983 to 2022 to discern this impact of volatility on the RMG exports of Bangladesh. The result shows that RMG exports is negatively affected due to the exchange rate volatility and the estimated figure shows that on Bangladesh‘s average RMG exports has been lessened to the USA and EU regions by US$1.04 billion and 1.02 billion, respectively, owing to the volatility incurred by the regime change. Therefore, as volatility obviously has hindered RMG exports, the central bank of Bangladesh should stay alert to avoid high volatility of the nominal exchange rate to keep the RMG exports flow uninterrupted.

Flow regimes of the reactive submerged gas jet from the Laval nozzle into liquid

The reactive submerged gas jet into a liquid bath is used in numerous industrial processes. The jet is featured with violent gas–liquid interface fluctuations. Previous studies showed that the most prominent feature is the cyclic formation and disappearance of the “gas cavity” near the nozzle. This near-nozzle interface fluctuation causes the “back attack” which is usually hazardous in actual applications. In the current study, another flow regime was observed: the near-nozzle interface is stable, and the most violent interface oscillation and the main reaction zone are away from the nozzle. In this regime, the “gas cavity” fluctuation is detached to the nozzle, the gas phase break-off position is pushed downstream (L/d0 from <3.0 to >6.0), and the “back attack” vanishes. This regime is termed as the “Detached Reaction Regime” (if the previous regime is the “Attached Reaction Regime”). The transition from the Attached Reaction Regime to the Detached Reaction Regime is usually caused by an increase in gas momentum. Laval nozzles with different divergent angles (10°, 15° and 20°) were tested. For each Laval nozzle, the effects of the gas total pressure and liquid temperature were investigated. The length and width of the jet were analyzed. Results show that the length and width of the gas jet suddenly decrease because of an enhancement of the gas–liquid mixing rate at the regime transition. In addition, the length-to-width ratio is approximately 3.0 for both regimes and all nozzles. Finally, a criterion for predicting the flow regime transition was proposed.

Minimising unnecessary restrictions on cross-border data flows? Indonesia’s position and challenges post personal data protection act enactment

ABSTRACT In the era of massive digital development, data plays an essential role as a ‘fuel’ in reshaping and creating new opportunities in the digital landscape, especially in the digital economy. The significance of data for Indonesia can be seen from the amount of data created, collected, and analysed in various sectors. However, Indonesia also faces problems of data breaches that happened in recent years, which harm society and need immediate attention. This article examined Indonesia’s data and cross-border data flow regulatory and institutional frameworks and its implementation challenges, especially with the recent enactment of a comprehensive Personal Data Protection Act (PDP Act), mainly inspired by the EU GDPR. This article shows that Indonesia is moving to less restrictive data-flow regulations than the previous regulatory regime but is still between the prescriptive and restrictive spectrum of data-flow regulation. This article argues that the enactment of the PDP Act can be momentum for Indonesia to evaluate the current regulatory framework to ensure that Indonesia’s regulation is not providing unnecessary restrictions that lead to complexity of implementation and will hinder from benefiting the utilisation of data.

Mainstreaming distributive justice into resources management in Nigeria: The extent of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021

The distribution of petroleum resources has always been an issue of serious controversy in the Nigerian state under the previous petroleum regime. Thus, this paper examined the extent to which the newly enacted Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 has engrained distributive justice with respect to petroleum resources management. It concludes that the PIA has made giant strides towards this end, in view of the creation of the Host Communities Development Trust Fund, Frontier Basin Exploration Fund and improved environment protection measures. However, this study identified certain factors which will limit the full realisation of the distributive justice intendment of the Act. It is, therefore, submitted that until these issues are addressed, distributive justice would continue to remain elusive for petroleum resources management

Drivers of dune formation control ecosystem function and response to disturbance in a barrier island system.

Barrier islands are landscape features that protect coastlines by reducing wave energy and erosion. Quantifying vegetation-topographic interactions between adjacent habitats are essential for predicting long-term island response and resilience to sea-level rise and disturbance. To understand the effects of dune dynamics on adjacent interior island ecosystem processes, we quantified how sediment availability and previous disturbance regime interact with vegetation to influence dune building and ease of seawater and sediment movement into the island interior on two US mid-Atlantic coast barrier islands. We conducted field surveys of sediment accretion, vegetative cover, and soil characteristics in dune and swale habitats. Digital elevation models provided assessment of water flow resistance from the mean high water mark into the island interior. We found that geographic location impacted sediment accretion rates and Panicum amarum (a species increasing in abundance over time in the Virginia barrier islands) accreted sediment at a significantly lower rate compared to other dune grasses. Dune elevation impacted the ease of seawater flow into the island interior, altering soil chlorides, annual net primary productivity, and soil carbon and nitrogen. Our work demonstrates the importance of incorporating biological processes and cross-island connectivity into future scenario modeling and predictions of rising sea-levels and increased disturbance.

Long‐term effects of meadow management on seed bank diversity and composition

AbstractAimsOligotrophic grasslands are habitats that host among the most diverse plant communities in Europe. Altering management regimes by either intensifying or ceasing management is known to decrease plant diversity. Yet, despite its importance for the recovery of plant communities after disturbances, little is known about whether seed banks are also affected by changes in management. Here, we investigate the effect of management practices on a meadow seed bank using a long‐term manipulative experiment. We focus on the response of the seed bank to the treatments, and the relationship between the seed bank and the vegetation response.MethodsThe study was conducted in a species‐rich wet meadow. The experiment consists of a factorial combination of fertilization, mowing, and removal of the dominant species. After 20 years of management, the seed bank was sampled seasonally at two soil layer depths. Standing vegetation was recorded in June at the peak of vegetation.ResultsAll seed bank characteristics varied between soil layers. Mowing decreased seed density and diversity, while fertilization significantly affected the species composition. Dominant removal had no effect on the seed bank. While seed bank diversity was not correlated to vegetation diversity, individual species' responses to mowing and fertilization were positively correlated in the seed bank and the vegetation.ConclusionsOur results show that long‐term management influences the seed bank down to 10 cm of soil depth. Whereas mowing apparently reduced seed density and diversity, the effects of fertilization on these characteristics were harder to interpret. After 20 years, most species had concordant responses to both mowing and fertilization, indicating a low legacy of previous management regimes on the seed bank. Our study reveals that the intensification of grassland management has a profound effect on plant diversity by directly affecting plant communities and their seed‐bank‐driven recovery potential.

Traditional News Media as Agents of Authenticity: Nigerian Audiences Weathering the Onslaught of New Media Streaming

The Nigerian media have, over the years, moved back and forth via all manners of experience of leadership, from military to democratic, until they finally settled into the present democratic governance. Experience from previous regimes exposed them to the vagaries of power and how to cope with them. These traditional news media, newspapers/magazines, radio, and television, were then the major and authentic news sources for Nigerians. The coming of the internet with its social media handles threw the journalists of these media into confusion as the citizens have taken the reigns of news/information peddling from under them, turning them into agents of confirmation and authenticity of information. Ironically, these traditional media, television, radio, and print, have adjusted to online media streaming, thus liberating themselves from the vagaries of temporal and spatial limitedness. Deploying a survey method (opinion poll, OPL) and relying on a purposive sampling technique, the authors purposively selected WhatsApp group platforms (WGP) as the most suitable of the new/social media with access to all manners of news sources. These were used to interrogate how online media/information/news streaming has taken the audience away from traditional media by being on the ‘spot’ at all hours with their avalanche of “Breaking News”. The findings revealed that audiences currently resort to traditional media to confirm the authenticity of news and information carried online in a sort-of-when-in-doubt-watch-the television manner or listen to radio or read the newspapers/magazines. It concludes that online news streaming has become the coveted bride of present-day information and news seekers, albeit an unreliable one.

The politics of electricity use and non-use in late Ottoman Istanbul.

This article focuses on the earlier encounters and uses of electricity, its technology, and its infrastructure to understand how electricity formed a contested terrain of politics among the city's varying actors, such as state officials, financial investors, and consumers, in late Ottoman Istanbul, roughly between the 1870s and early 1920s. I contend that people used electricity as a political tool in their everyday lives even before they could access it physically. Electricity skepticism during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II (1876-1909) increased Istanbul residents' inclination for an electrified future; the longer the sultan's prohibitions lasted, the more they fueled this inclination, causing problems about the use of electricity. In contrast to the previous regime's skepticism about electricity use, the Committee of Union and Progress (1909-18) administrators considered electricity a public service that a larger population could use rather than a source of energy for a small, privileged elite. The first urban-scale power plant was completed in 1914. However, the inability to import technical equipment and raw materials due to political and financial troubles caused by World War I (1914-18) and the Occupation Period (1918-23) hampered electricity production and consumption, causing serious problems in electricity use on public and private scales. Amid the wave of challenges, the city inhabitants witnessed numerous unpleasant encounters with electricity use; some perished in tram accidents, while others became criminals. At a time when much of society viewed electricity as a vital element for progress and economic growth, the prevalence of crowded trams, tram accidents, blackouts, and instances of electricity theft within the Ottoman capital called into question the notion of electricity as a technological promise and public good. Consequently, the initial enthusiasm for electricity's transformative potential waned due to tensions between expectations and daily realities, resulting in a cautious approach toward technological modernity.

Journalism in Transitional Context: Societal Hostility, Self-Censorship and the Expansion of “One Voice Journalism”

ABSTRACT The transformations in the media and political landscapes in Egypt over the last decade and their implications on media pluralism and freedom of expression are well documented. However, less is known about how Egyptian journalists themselves experience these changes; how their relationships with authorities and ordinary citizens are being redefined, and how journalists’ routines and practices are evolving. Through interviews with twenty Egyptian journalists working for different types of media outlets (government-owned, independent, privately owned, opposition and new start-ups), this article records and analyses journalists’ experiences with both authorities and citizens amid the current transitional period, assessing to what extent these relationships and experiences are impacting journalism practices in Egypt. Findings reveal that journalists perceive a hostile stance from both officials and ordinary citizens towards journalists due to a common belief that journalists played a role in the removal of previous regimes and therefore are seen as “destabilising agents”. This prevents journalists from accessing both information and news sources, forcing journalists to produce unified content and practice self-censorship and “service journalism” as opposed to original and investigative stories. These challenges are discussed in light of research on media and democratic transition.

Smoltification, seawater performance, and maturation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed different fat levels

IntroductionThe use of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) to produce Atlantic salmon smolts has resulted in exceptionally high fish growth rates. However, there are potential negative trade-offs between fast growth and key physiological processes, such as inadequate smoltification and early sexual maturation, which can both be linked to body energy reserves.MethodsThis study determined the effect of i) dietary fat levels on Atlantic salmon whole-body fat and fatty acids composition, growth performance and smoltification and ii) a previous dietary regime on seawater growth performance and male early sexual maturation. In freshwater RAS, salmon parr (~19g) were fed 3 fat levels (20, 24, and 28%) over a 14-week period at 12°C. Subsequently, in seawater flow-through systems, smolt (~96g) were fed a control diet (26%) for 12 weeks at 2 temperatures (12 and 16°C).ResultsDietary fat levels resulted in differences in k-factor, fish whole-body fat and fatty acids composition; the low fat diet resulted in fish with a 23% lower whole-body fat when compared to the other two dietary groups at the end of the freshwater phase. These differences in whole-body fat faded at the end of the seawater phase. During the freshwater phase, all three feeds resulted in a comparable growth performance and smoltification indicator values, including k-factor, gill Na+, K+-ATPase, blood serum chloride and smolt index score. In contrast, water temperature resulted in fish body weight differences, where groups reared at 16°C were larger than those reared at 12°C. Nevertheless, both temperature regimes supported a similar thermal growth coefficient. Smolts grown at 16°C showed a higher level of the sex steroids androstenedione compared to those at 12°C. However, 11-ketotestosterone and testosterone levels did not differ despite a trend for higher levels at 16°C. Furthermore, testis histology at the final sampling indicated that some individuals showed initial signs of maturation (stage 3).DiscussionIn conclusion, varying dietary fat levels (20 - 28%) during the freshwater phase did not influence smoltification or male early sexual maturation during the subsequent grow-out phase. However, a temperature increase from 12 to 16°C resulted in larger fish and appeared to stimulate early male maturation in some fish individuals.

The Roma and the double-movement of Social Europe

ABSTRACT This article uses a Polanyian frame to place the plight of Roma in Europe in the context of an age of crisis, as evidenced by faltering neoliberal economies and a corresponding rise in xenophobia and extreme manifestations of nationalism. The situation of the Roma remains precarious, a situation exacerbated by the 2008 economic crises and the COVID-pandemic. Despite a number of social inclusion measures in recent decades, at the national and European level which target the Roma, Roma exclusion remains a serious challenge. The paper assesses why previous policy regimes failed but also reflects on what is the way forward in terms of inclusive policy frameworks. The article seeks to provide some answers to these questions with a vision of a Polanyian countermovement in the form of a New Social Europe predicated on redistribution, recognition and community action but also a re-envisioning of integration and transformative change in structural and cultural terms.

EU trilogue results for the aviation sector – key issues and expected impacts

In July 2021, the European Commission had proposed additional and tightening measures to reduce the climate impact of the air transport sector as part of its ‘Fit for 55 package’. In December 2022, so-called trilogue negotiations of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union came to new rules for the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) for aviation. In April 2023, further trilogue agreements on mandatory blending quotas for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) were reached. This paper aims at identifying and illustrating the agreed new rules and regulations for the aviation sector in comparison with the previous regime. In addition, key impacts on stakeholders and the environment will be discussed. So far, the trilogue parties have reached an agreement on a strengthened EU ETS for aviation, which integrates the global offsetting scheme CORSIA and creates incentives for the increasing use of SAF. Also, a monitoring, reporting and verification scheme for aviation's climate relevant so-called non-CO2 emissions will be introduced as a basis for a later integration of these emissions into the EU ETS. Aviation's non-CO2 emissions include H2O, aerosols, NOx, contrails and cirrus clouds. Moreover, a mandatory sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) blending quota, which rises gradually up to 70 per cent in the year 2050, has been agreed. However, further policy measures originally proposed within the ‘Fit for 55 package’, such as a European kerosene tax, are still subject to final negotiations. As our analysis indicates, several and diverse economic and environmental effects arising from these climate protection policies for European aviation can be expected.

멕시코 국토 발전과 공간적 조정에 관한 시론적 연구

Mexico has been noted as a somewhat exceptional case in the 2000s, when the Pink Tide wave was exerting a powerful influence in South America. Thus after losing to Mexico’s two conservative parties, PAN and PRI, in 2006 and 2012, expectations for AMLO and his regime, which was elected as the candidate of the MORENA party in 2018, were higher than ever. In particular, it can be said that the regime succeeded in coming to power by emphasising the disconnection from the neoliberal policies implemented by the previous regimes, but in the economic growth policy, it still showed a basis for adjusting and maintaining the existing policy stance rather than an exclusive break with neoliberalism. Against this backdrop, this study aims to examine the reasons why the infrastructure construction project promoted by the AMLO regime has caused social criticism and backlash in the actual process, despite the fact that it specifies the goal of overcoming spatial and social imbalances. This study argues that the emphasis on procedural legitimacy to blunt the backlash against the infrastructure projects actively promoted by the AMLO regime can be understood in the context of the re-establishment or readjustment of the state-market-society relationship, rather than an exclusive break with the previous neoliberal regime. In other words, it is understood as part of a 'spatial fix' to deepen capitalist accumulation as advocated by critical spatial geographers. This study is a preliminary study that aims to overcome the limitations of domestic research on Mexico that has been mainly dealt with in the political, economic, and cultural contexts, and to contribute to the spatial and social discussions. Therefore, it is of academic significance in that it introduces the theoretical discussions of critical geographers who can understand capitalist accumulation and unbalanced land development and applies them to the case of Mexico.

Bulgarian Historiography after 1989

Speaking on a popular TV show in 1990, soon after the collapse of the previous regime, long-time dissident and doyen of Bulgarian historical science, former Dean of the Faculty of History at the University of Sofia, Nikolay Genchev, insisted on putting the ‘Bulgarian national interest’ ‘above all’. Genchev said with regret that ‘the Bulgarian national problem has recently appeared mainly as a Turkish problem’. Irritated, he added that it is talked about ‘only for the Turks . . . [in spite of the fact that there were only] a million [Turkish] people living in this country’. He followed up with apocalyptic predictions that Yugoslavia wanted Pirin (or Bulgarian) Macedonia, Romania longed for Dobrodja (which is split between Bulgaria and Romania), the Turks claimed secession, and therefore only the ‘hard chest of the Balkan’ remained.

How the Islamic State Rivalry Pushes the Taliban to Extremes

AbstractBefore establishing the second Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban promised they would not revert to the repressive policies and stringent interpretations of Islam they had imposed during their previous regime. However, since the US withdrawal—and despite financial incentives from the West and diplomatic pleadings within the region—the Taliban have reneged on this vow. Why have the Taliban not moderated? This article argues that their rivalry with Islamic State‐Khorasan (IS‐K) is the central cause. The Taliban are concerned that compromise on fundamentalism will lead their hard‐line factions to break ranks and join IS‐K, enhancing its reputation and allowing it to recruit more foreign fighters. This could lead to increased violence and socioeconomic and political instability in Afghanistan, undermine the legitimacy of the Taliban, and spark the collapse of the regime.

Expectations, structural breaks and the recent surge in inflation

I use a switching-point VAR to detect if the transmission of inflation expectations to CPI inflation has changed in the post-Covid period. I find evidence that, although inflation expectation shocks affected CPI inflation somewhat stronger after 2020, the differences to the previous regime are too small to be a driving force behind the recent incline in inflation.