Public Criticism Research Articles

Criminal justice reform, conviction without trial and the role of the criminal judge in Argentina

AbstractThis article addresses the role of criminal judges in mechanisms of conviction without trial that have spread in recent decades in Latin America, in the context of criminal justice reforms towards an adversarial model. These mechanisms in the region are the result of a complex translation of plea bargaining from USA legal tradition which included adaptations and innovations. One of those is a strongly active and interventionist role for the criminal judge in ‘law in books’. However, through empirical research in the Province of Santa Fe (Argentina), this article shows how a judicial practice of routine and fast ‘homologation’ of agreements is effectively structured in ‘law in action’. This role implies a sort of deresponsibilisation in relation to the exercise of the power to punish, in stark contrast with the inquisitorial model, precisely in a warm climate of strong public distrust and criticism of state crime control institutions.

“Mining” the Film Archive: South Africa’s Mining Industry and Film Production

This paper examines the relationship of film production and the mining industry in the forty years of the Union of South Africa, before the National Party came to power in 1948 and established its system of apartheid. It argues that the mining industry used the new technology of film to promote its exploitative system of African migrant workers, mobilized to extract the maximum natural resources of precious metals at the greatest profit. In South Africa in this period, film production and cinema exhibition were controlled commercially by the African Films Trust through its production company, African Film Productions, and its exhibition arm, African Consolidated Theatres. In the face of the rise of trade unions and collective bargaining, the Chamber of Mines commissioned African Film Productions to make documentaries, including instructional, topical, and propaganda films, from the 1920s until the 1940s. These were intended to counter overseas public criticisms of working conditions, health and safety, and racial segregation of workers on the mines. The Chamber of Mines also commissioned films to recruit African migrant workers through its recruitment agencies, the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association and the Native Recruiting Corporation. These recruitment films were screened using mobile cinemas in villages throughout southern Africa. The film company made other publicity films, often co-produced with various South African government departments, to attract White settler immigration and investment by shareholders, and domestically aimed at allaying settlers’ anxieties about the growth of mass African labor systems. These films were exhibited in cinemas all over South Africa and overseas. Building on existing scholarship on the importance of cinema to the recruitment and regulation of African miners in southern Africa, particularly South Africa, this paper will excavate the intricate imbrication of filmmaking in the consolidation and expansion of mining during the first half of the twentieth century.

Mononormativity Sentiment Towards Polygamous Ustadz on Social Media

Mononormativity widely embraced by societies, often leads to negative sentiment toward non-monogamous relationships. Polygamy, as a form of non-monogamy, challenges this norm, particularly when practiced consensually, revealing a divergence from assumptions that label such relationships as destructive. In Indonesia, where Islam predominates, polygamy is conditionally legitimate under religious law and mutual agreement. However, it frequently faces public criticism and rejection, especially on social media. Religious figures like Ustadz Hanan Attaki, who practice polygamy, often become targets of this negative sentiment, revealing the tension between cultural norms, religious legitimacy, and societal perceptions. This study aims to analyze how mononormativity functions as a form of knowledge-power in constructing negative sentiments towards polygamists, especially ustadz, on social media. Utilizing primary data from social media comments and secondary data from online media and supporting articles, the research employs an explanatory sequential mixed method, where quantitative data supports qualitative insights. Combining sentiment analysis using NVivo and Foucaldian discourse analysis, the paper uncovers how societal norms and power structures shape and reinforce negative sentiments towards polygamists. The quantitative data provides a broad understanding of public opinion, while the qualitative analysis delves deeper into the discourses that perpetuate mononormativity. Through this integration, the study highlights the significant influence of mononormative discourse in shaping societal attitudes and maintaining power dynamics that marginalize non-monogamous relationships.

The English Speaking Achievement Test for Japanese Junior High School Students (ESAT-J): An Analysis of Public Criticisms Using the Socio-Cognitive Framework

ABSTRACT The English Speaking Achievement Test for Japanese Junior High School Students (ESAT-J) was introduced to contribute to levelling up public English education in Tokyo in 2022. Critics, however, have made claims in the mass media against the use of the test and stakeholder groups have called for its cancellation. This paper presents an analysis of the criticisms using a recent version of the socio-cognitive framework. The analysis reveals that criticisms concern the Development, Measurement, Theory-of-Action (TOA), and Communication Arguments to differing degrees. In particularly, this study highlights the necessity of developing concrete TOA and Communication Plans to guide development and implementation of reform-based tests.

An unmethodical method: Contextualising the critical essay

This paper charts a theoretical and literary genealogy for what I term the critical essay, which I define as a literary essay that includes analysis of an artwork amongst its objects of inquiry. After briefly outlining the increasing prevalence of the critical essay in contemporary letters, I review theoretical schemas surrounding the critical essay, and grapple with the terminological slippage of labels like “essay” and “criticism”. Drawing from Marxist and feminist schools of literary studies, I argue that alternative forms of critical writing have generally been propounded not as literary modes but rather as scholarly revolts against disciplinary strictures. I argue that such alternative forms of critical writing share a desire to invent modes of analysis and expression capable of challenging dominant class, race and/or gendered ideologies. I go on to propose that the critical essay may be capable of disrupting the epistemological frameworks undergirding public criticism, making space for writers who, due to their subject positions, have not historically been conferred critical authority.

Ottoman Tobacco and the Moral Economy of State-Led Development (c. 1908–12)

Abstract In the Second Constitutional Era (1908–18), proponents of various models for national development debated the Ottoman future under the Committee for Union and Progress (cup). Public discussions of cup policies related to the tobacco sector were central to these discussions in the southern Balkans. As such, they provide a window into the political and moral economy of the region and some of the public critiques of international finance after the 1908 Constitutional Revolution. By 1908, tobacco had been at the crossroads of regional economic development and European financial domination for nearly three decades. Since the domestic tobacco monopoly was set to expire in 1913, the region was primed for debates about the agricultural credit market and the customs regime. This article argues that cup proposals for state-led development aimed to satisfy the divergent moral demands of agriculturalists (zürrāʿ) and merchants (tüccar) in the tobacco-producing zones of the empire.

Diversion of public criticism and the politics of blame avoidance in China

This article looks at how the Chinese government utilizes information control strategies to avoid taking responsibility for social problems. The authors argue that Beijing diverts public criticism by placing more responsibility for social problems on private enterprises, thereby benefiting itself and the public sector in the blame game. This approach differs from the tactics addressed in the existing literature, such as inciting nationalism to deflect criticism, diverting public attention to unrelated matters, or placing the blame on local-level governments. Through a comparative study of the criticisms on Weibo, censored posts accessible via Weiboscope, and opinions expressed on Twitter during the 2016 Wei Zexi Incident, this article demonstrates that the process of attributing blame to the private sector took some time to develop, but it was nonetheless successful in diverting public criticism away from state actors. The skewed attribution of responsibility to private enterprises served to reduce public criticism of the government and the public sector.

Determinants Associated with COVID-19 Vaccination among Korean Adults: Based on Andersen's Model.

COVID-19 vaccination is a critical public health measure to control the pandemic, but disparities in vaccination uptake remain a concern. This study investigates the determinants of COVID-19 vaccination among Korean adults using the Andersen model. Data from 231,784 participants in the community health survey were analyzed using chi-square testing and logistic regression. The risk of non-vaccination was higher among those aged 19-64 (95% CI: 1.52-1.74), males (95% CI: 1.11-1.24), the unemployed (95% CI: 2.21-2.47), unmarried individuals (95% CI: 1.12-1.24), those with unmet healthcare needs (95% CI: 1.41-1.67), recipients of national basic livelihood guarantees (95% CI: 1.45-1.73), those with lower subjective health (95% CI: 1.20-1.30), individuals with depression (95% CI: 1.28-1.44), current smokers (95% CI: 1.13-1.30), and those skipping breakfast (95% CI: 1.04-1.16). Conversely, the risk was lower for those with less than a high school education (95% CI: 0.72-0.81), individuals with psychological concerns about infection (0.87, 95% CI: 0.82-0.92) or public criticism (0.91, 95% CI: 0.86-0.97), individuals with chronic diseases (95% CI: 0.64-0.72), and current alcohol consumers (95% CI: 0.52-0.58). These findings underscore the need for targeted intervention strategies and support systems to promote vaccination in vulnerable populations. Further research should explore the long-term impact of these interventions on vaccination uptake.

Regulation on Freedom of Expression on Social Media in Indonesia and Malaysia

This study aims to examine and analyse the forms of regulation of freedom of opinion in the formation of good laws in Indonesia and Malaysia and how the practice and obstacles to freedom of opinion on social media between the two. In the research method, the statutory regulatory approach (Statute Approach), analytical approach (Analytical Approach), and case approach (Case Approach) are used as aspects of normative analysis. Legal materials are collected by tracing authoritative documents related to legal issues and using the literature study method. The legal materials collected are then described descriptively by combining and comparing regulations about freedom of opinion/expression to answer the legal issues raised and reach a clear solution. The results of this study show that the existence of rules that have regulated freedom of expression/opinion for Indonesia and Malaysia is still a debate in its civil society. In Malaysia, the main challenge is the strict regulations often used to suppress freedom of expression in the interests of its constitution. In Indonesia, freedom of expression rules is considered repressive, too broad, and prone to abuse to silence public criticism in the mass media.

Public Critique by Journalists and Politicians as a Process of Democratic Legitimization

This theoretical article takes a fresh look at the relationship between journalists and politicians, based on the public critique they level at each other. It proposes that this critique should be seen not simply as the expression of reproaches between rival actors, but as a meaningful metadiscursive articulation. Public critique means, for example, defining journalism, politics, democracy, or a particular context in which the relationship between journalists and politicians takes place. Above all, public critique is part of a process of legitimization that involves journalists and politicians, who are increasingly mistrustful of institutions. Associated with the public arena, public critique is also a tool for understanding new democratic dynamics driven by noninstitutional actors (citizens’ movements or alternative media) that challenge the legitimacy of journalists and politicians.

Dampak Uniformity Terhadap Informasi Akuntansi: Sebuah Kajian Literatur

Along with the development of the world economy, accounting also continues to develop. The accounting evolution process cannot be separated from public criticism and suggestions. One of these criticisms is uniformity. Uniformity is the level of similarity in financial reporting of companies within a country and even between countries in the world. This research seeks to examine the impact of uniformity on accounting information by conducting a review of previous literature. The results of the study show that uniformity will create comparability of financial reports so that financial reports become relevant and faithful representation and will make it easier for users to make decisions.

Are authoritative international organizations challenged more? A recurrent event analysis of member state criticisms and withdrawals

AbstractMember states’ challenges to international organizations (IOs) are at the heart of the supposed crisis of our multilateral order – from the “African bias” debate surrounding the International Criminal Court, to the United Kingdom’s “Brexit” from the European Union, to Trump’s attacks on the World Health Organization during the COVID-19 pandemic. IOs are regularly challenged by their member states in different ways, ranging from verbal criticisms to withdrawals. But why are some IOs challenged more than others? An important – but so far largely theoretical – academic debate relates to the authority of IOs as an explanatory factor for why some face more challenges: Authoritative IOs may invite more challenges (for example, due to domestic contestation) or fewer challenges (due, in part, to the investment of member states and their greater capacity to resolve conflicts internally). Our article assesses these explanations using the Andersen-Gill approach for analyzing recurrent events of member states’ public criticisms and withdrawals. We do not find strong and consistent evidence that more authoritative IOs are more regularly challenged by their own member states. There is some evidence that authoritative IOs experience fewer withdrawals, but we find stronger evidence for alternative factors such as preference heterogeneity between members, the existence of alternative IOs, and the democratic composition of an IO’s membership. Our study is significant for scholarly debates and real-world politics, as it implies that granting IOs more authority does not make them more prone to member state challenges.

Enhancing China's image in Africa: The role of the Belt and Road Initiative

Growing distrust makes it challenging for countries to retain positive reputations and images worldwide. Employing data from the eighth round of the Afrobarometer and the multiperiod difference-in-differences (DID) method, this paper examines how China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) affects its image in Africa. This study reveals that the BRI can significantly improve China's image among Africans. It affects Africans' perceptions of China's image in a highly heterogeneous manner. The BRI boosts China's image by increasing foreign direct investment, foreign aid, trade, and cultural communication with Africa. Moreover, domestic mainstream public attention and public praise and criticism can mitigate the BRI's impact on Africans' perceptions of China. These findings highlight the importance of economic cooperation and media portrayal in forming a country's image. Additionally, the paper offers suggestions for both China and Africa to build a high-quality BRI, thus improving their bilateral economic cooperation.

‘We are not babysitters’: Meaningfulness and meaninglessness in homeroom teachers' identity work

AbstractThis study explores how homeroom teachers construct meaningfulness in their work and in their professional identity, and how this meaningfulness serves them as they interpret and react to public criticism of their profession. Our study relies on interviews with 95 teachers working in Israeli elementary‐, middle‐ and high schools, and draws on the theoretical lens of discursive identity work. We argue that meaningfulness is at the heart of homeroom teachers' identity. Accordingly, when faced with public criticism that questions the meaningfulness of their work, teachers experience threats to their professional identity. Notably, such identity threats are of a gendered nature, as teachers make sense of public criticism by conceptualising it through the gendered stereotype of ‘babysitting’. Furthermore, female teachers are much more likely than male teachers to face criticism from family members and friends. We identify remedial identity work strategies that teachers employ in the face of such identity threats.

DINAMIKA LEMAHNYA KRITISME MASYARAKAT TERHADAP NEPOTISME DI INDONESIA

This research aims to analyze the weak public criticism of the practice of nepotism in Indonesia through the Elite Theory perspective developed by Vilfredo Pareto and Gaetano Mosca. Nepotism, which is defined as giving important posts or positions to relatives or close friends without considering competence, has become an integral part of the Indonesian political system. This study uses descriptive qualitative research to explore the factors that influence people's attitudes towards nepotism and the interactions between these factors. Data sources were obtained through library research which included literature, articles and previous research. The research results show that the normalization of nepotism in Indonesia is strengthened by a paternalistic political culture, low community political participation, and economic dependence on political elites. The dominance of organized elites, as explained by Pareto and Mosca, plays a central role in weakening society's critical voice. Pareto emphasized that elites use nepotism to maintain power and hinder the circulation of new, more competent elites, while Mosca pointed out that elites manipulate public opinion and maintain the status quo through control over important resources and institutions. This condition results in apathy and the inability of society to form an effective opposition to the ruling elite. This research concludes that the weak public criticism of nepotism is a consequence of the dominance of elites who use their power to maintain control and avoid criticism. To overcome this problem, reforms are needed in the political and cultural system in Indonesia, including increasing transparency, strengthening anti-corruption institutions, as well as more inclusive and participatory political education. These findings provide a significant contribution to understanding the dynamics of power and social behavior in Indonesia and offer practical recommendations for strengthening the critical role of society in dealing with nepotism practices.

Medicare Advantage Under Fire: Public Criticism and Implications.

Congressional hearings and public reports have drawn attention to problems afflicting Medicare Advantage (MA), the privatized version of Medicare. Private plans became a staple of Medicare through the passage of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA). Congress passed this law during a furor of privatization, when think tanks and powerful financial interests emphasized the power of corporations' profit incentive to improve the efficiency and quality of social enterprise. Yet the surging criticism of MA suggests a misalignment between the financial interest of some MA plans and the well-being of their patient populations. The criticisms range from deceptive marketing, ghost networks, and patient cherry-picking to unethical prior authorization denials and defrauding the government. In total, MA plans cost the federal government 22% more per patient than if these patients in question were enrolled in traditional Medicare. Moreover, it is not clear that this additional funding is producing proportional benefits. These developments raise questions about the presence of a profit incentive in Medicare, and perhaps health care more broadly.

Consumer reactions to attacks against cherished brands

PurposeBecause of an increase in consumer awareness and the ease of information dissemination on the Internet, brands have increasingly become the target of online criticism. Several factors affect consumers’ reactions to public criticism against brands that they support. The present study investigated the interactive effects of psychological ownership, agency–communion orientation, and internal attribution on self-threat in the context of such criticism.Design/methodology/approachThree studies were conducted to test several research hypotheses. The psychological ownership, agency–communion orientation, and internal attribution of the participants in this study were manipulated using an experimental scenario. Subsequently, they completed a questionnaire with items used to assess purchase intention, self-threat, and demographic variables and for performing manipulation checks.FindingsWhen a brand is criticized, (1) consumers with high psychological ownership of the brand are likely to buy more of that brand’s products, (2) communion-oriented consumers with high psychological ownership of the brand experience greater self-threat relative to those with low psychological ownership, and (3) agency-oriented consumers experience a consistent level of self-threat regardless of their level of psychological ownership.Research limitations/implicationsBrands should endeavor to enhance consumers’ psychological ownership of the brand to increase their support in times of crisis.Originality/valueThis study investigated how psychological ownership of a brand among consumers affected their reactions when a brand was criticized. The effect of self-threat as a mediating mechanism was also considered. Furthermore, agency and communion orientation were proposed as crucial moderators that should be considered in research on consumer–brand relationships.

Fenye by the Numbers: A Quantitative Analysis of Astrological Contents in Chinese Local Gazetteers

Abstract Fenye (分野, lit., “field allocation”), is a traditional Chinese astrological system that associated celestial phenomena with regions on earth since ancient times. During middle and late imperial China, many literati writings criticized this system as illogical. Yet in the local gazetteers that were compiled in late imperial China to document local data within each administrative region, compilers continued to use fenye as the canonical way to identify their regions within the vast empire. The Jesuit introduction of Western sciences to China, in particular the technology that could precisely locate any place or region with latitude and longitude, appeared to render fenye obsolete, which fueled even more literati criticism. Modern scholars consider the public criticism from the Qianlong emperor and the resulting removal of fenye from the 1781 Rehe Gazetteer the end of fenye in imperial orthodoxy. However, by quantitatively analyzing a collection of 4,410 titles of local gazetteers and their section headings, this paper reveals many examples of local literati who resisted removing fenye entirely from their local history, well into the late Republican period.

Understanding the Material Impact of Social Media during Public Criticism and Dissent in African Countries: A Review of the Literature

Globally, governments are imposing national blackouts on digital communication, particularly the internet and subsequently the social media space during public criticism and dissent. To understand the material impact of this digital blackout, a literature review is conducted, focusing on African countries. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of social media during public criticism and dissent from an African perspective. To achieve this, an extensive review of the literature was conducted on African countries. The United Nations (UN) classifies 54 countries as African. All these countries had a known chance of being selected as part of the sample (probability sampling). In total, 29 countries were chosen based on relevance and the availability of data on internet shutdowns. Furthermore, the study looks into a 5-year trend from 2018 to 2022. Consequently, the results suggest that internet shutdowns in Africa are currently on the rise and remain disruptive, oppressive, expensive, and cost countries dearly. Additionally, the study also found that internet shutdowns often result in violent and/or fatal protests. It was further found that the responses by governments and companies during public criticism and dissent have been challenging, insufficient, and detrimental to human rights. At a country level, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Chad - respectively remain the regional leaders in terms of shutting down the Internet. This research recommends more scientific research to be conducted under the topic to enrich the existing body of knowledge, and possibly refine the findings of the current study. It further recommends country-specific policies that should openly condemn government-imposed internet shutdowns. Moreover, this research also recommends that global Human Rights Organisations should stand firm and strongly condemn government-imposed internet shutdowns by imposing sanctions and repercussions for oppressive governments. Finally, this research concludes that social media has unique capabilities to convey messages to larger groups of people, mobilizing or immobilizing them with only a few clicks. Among others, social media can also spread fake information or news by posting old material and linking it to current situations.

Representation of Andean Communities: Indigenous Cultures and Languages in Peruvian Cinema

ABSTRACT Peru is a country that has a world-renowned cultural heritage. However, there is a set of historical discrimination in different instances of society against the indigenous population, their cultural identity, social recognition, and even legal protection. Due to this situation, there have been recent manifestations in the cinema, television and education products with the purpose of recognizing, integrating and valuing all people and their cultures. This differs significantly from almost all of republican history, characterized by the unilateral representation of the privileged classes of the Peruvian cities. For that reason, this article analyzes three independent films dedicated to representation of Andean characters: Wiñaypacha (‘Eternity’) (2017), Retablo (‘Altarpiece’) (2017), and Willaq Pirqa, el cine de mi pueblo (‘Speaking Wall, the cinema of my town’) (2022), which have achieved a high degree of acceptance by the public and specialized critics. The proposal analyzes the recognition and revaluation of the Andean characters in these films, based on the linguistic, cultural and social dimensions, and the ideas of nationhood that are developed discursively and symbolically.