Recent Democratization Research Articles

Metamorfoses de uma universidade: os estudantes da USP entre 2000 e 2020

Following the end of the authoritarian regime and the increase in elementary and secondaryeducation in the 1990s, there was a rise in demands for broader access to higher education and for public universities to become more inclusive to historically underrepresented groups. This article explores how USP responded to them by discussing the expansion of recruitment and the adoption of affirmative actions and retention policies. Furthermore, we examine the changes in the composition of the student body. Our analysis highlights the gains, contradictions, and asymmetries that have emerged during this university’s recent democratization process.

Teoria historii w epoce planetarnej. Tomasz Wiśniewski rozmawia z Dipeshem Chakrabartym

In the interview, Dipesh Chakrabarty gives an insight into recent transformations of historical thinking and writing. He discusses various faces of recent democratisation of history, like the proliferation of environmental history and the decolonialisation perspective. He outlines the genealogy of the term “provincializing”, known from his notable work Provincializing Eu-rope. Finally, he elaborates on the emergence of “the planetary” (or “a planetary age”) and recalls the contributions of Martin Heidegger and Carl Schmitt on the conceptualisation of the issue.

The provocative effects of democratization: assessing the relationship between the regime transition in Armenia and the escalation of the Karabakh conflict in 2018–2020

ABSTRACT The democratization and war theory suggests that countries become more conflict-prone while in a transition phase to democracy. Drawing on this theory, we examine the relationship between democratic transition in Armenia and the escalation of the Karabakh conflict in 2018–2020 – prior to the second Karabakh war. Obviously, various factors led to a dangerous escalation of the conflict, which eventually ended in all-out war. Yet, the article primarily aims to find out how Armenia’s recent democratization is related to this escalation. Our findings confirm the above theory: the main empirical argument is that the key elements linking democratic transition to conflict escalation have been the increasingly nationalist, populist behaviour of the new Armenian leadership and a perceived provocation caused by it on Azerbaijani side.

Current Advances in Lung Ultrasound in COVID-19 Critically Ill Patients: A Narrative Review.

Lung ultrasound (LUS) has a relatively recent democratization due to the better availability and training of physicians, especially in intensive care units. LUS is a relatively cheap and easy-to-learn and -use bedside technique that evaluates pulmonary morphology when using simple algorithms. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, LUS was found to be an accurate tool to quickly diagnose, triage and monitor patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of LUS use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first section of our work defines the technique, the practical approach and the semeiotic signs of LUS examination. The second section exposed the COVID-19 pattern in LUS examination and the difference between the differential diagnosis patterns and the well-correlation found with computer tomography scan findings. In the third section, we described the utility of LUS in the management of COVID-19 patients, allowing an early diagnosis and triage in the emergency department, as the monitoring of pneumonia course (pneumonia progression, alveolar recruitment, mechanical ventilation weaning) and detection of secondary complications (pneumothorax, superinfection). Moreover, we describe the usefulness of LUS as a marker of the prognosis of COVID-19 pneumonia in the fourth section. Finally, the 5th part is focused on describing the interest of the LUS, as a non-ionized technique, in the management of pregnant COVID-19 women.

Discretionary Operations of Frontline Forest Bureaucrats in Tropical Developing Countries: A Case Study from Java, Indonesia

Detailed exploration of why and how a certain forest management operation was not implemented will lead to more nuanced understandings of local policy realities. Drawing on the viewpoints of street-level bureaucracy, the present study examined discretionary operations practiced by frontline forest bureaucrats in Java, Indonesia. The study particularly focused on how changes in wider political economic situations affected power relations between frontline forest bureaucrats and locals, and how changed power relations generated discretionary operations both in regulatory and facilitation aspects. The author combined various data collection methods, including a mail-out questionnaire survey for frontline forest bureaucrats, a survey through in-person interviews of village representatives, a survey through in-person interviews of household heads in a village, and participatory observations of events in villages. The findings showed that frontline forest bureaucrats’ discretion included both creative and passive forms; whereas they attempted to accommodate contrasting policy goals of protecting forests and meeting local demands for forests, they felt hesitation to cope with local situations due to increasing bargaining power of locals that resulted from recent democratization processes. Policy options or organizational measures to remove the conditions that result in negative types of discretion should be deliberated based on the realities of frontline forest bureaucrats.

Fish metabolome from sub-urban lakes of the Paris area (France) and potential influence of noxious metabolites produced by cyanobacteria

The recent democratization of high-throughput molecular phenotyping allows the rapid expansion of promising untargeted multi-dimensional approaches (e.g. epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and/or metabolomics). Indeed, these emerging omics tools, processed for ecologically relevant species, may present innovative perspectives for environmental assessments, that could provide early warning of eco(toxico)logical impairments.In a previous pilot study (Sotton et al., Chemosphere 2019), we explore by 1H NMR the bio-indicative potential of metabolomics analyses on the liver of 2 sentinel fish species (Perca fluviatilis and Lepomis gibbosus) collected in 8 water bodies of the peri-urban Paris’ area (France). In the present study, we further investigate on the same samples the high potential of high-throughput UHPLC-HRMS/MS analyses. We show that the LC-MS metabolome investigation allows a clear separation of individuals according to the species, but also according to their respective sampling lakes. Interestingly, similar variations of Perca and Lepomis metabolomes occur locally indicating that site-specific environmental constraints drive the metabolome variations which seem to be influenced by the production of noxious molecules by cyanobacterial blooms in certain lakes. Thus, the development of such reliable environmental metabolomics approaches appears to constitute an innovative bio-indicative tool for the assessment of ecological stress, such as toxigenic cyanobacterial blooms, and aim at being further follow up.

A TOPOGRAPHY OF VIRTUAL INFLUENCERS

Informed by my first six months of doctoral research, this paper offers a topography of virtual influencers that at once acknowledges their continuation of and breaking with the precedents of a lineage of “virtual beings” who have achieved celebrity status. Responding to the ahistoricism of much recent commentary, it draws on archival press and web research to situate virtual influencers at the intersection of technological advancements, discourses, and anxieties similarly characterising Hollywood’s “synthespians” at the turn of the twenty-first century; the legacy of “virtual idols” in East Asia (also known as “Vocaloids” in Japan); and the latter’s recent democratisation by a new generation of “vTubers” across video-sharing sites. Recognising this cross-medium migration of virtual celebrity—from anime, video games and blockbuster cinema to the participatory web—this paper adopts a platform-specific lens to highlight the affordances, cultures and vernaculars of specific social media as essential to virtual influencers’ aspiration to, and attainment and maintenance of, attention and fame.

Designing Musical Games for Electroacoustic Improvisation

This paper describes the background and motivations behind the author’s electroacoustic game-pieces Pathfinder (2016) and ICARUS (2019), designed specifically for his performance practice with an augmented drum kit. The use of game structures in music is outlined, while musical expression in the context of commercial musical games using conventional game controllers is discussed. Notions such as agility, agency and authorship in music composition and improvisation are in parallel with game design and play, where players are asked to develop skills through affordances within a digital game-space. It is argued that the recent democratisation of game engines opens a wide range of expressive opportunities for real-time game-based improvisation and performance. Some of the design decisions and performance strategies for the two instrument-controlled games are presented to illustrate the discussion; this is done in terms of game design, physical control through the augmented instrument, live electronics and overall artistic goals of the pieces. Finally, future directions for instrument-controlled electroacoustic game-pieces are suggested.

Best Practice Leads to the Best Materials Informatics

Developing and employing best practice is an important stage in a maturing scientific discipline and is well overdue for the field of materials informatics, where a systematic approach to data science is needed to ensure the reliability and reproducibility of results.

The camera and the geomorphologist

The methods we use to produce geomorphic data are deeply interwoven with the geomorphic questions we choose to ask, and with the geomorphic theories we construct. Authors have described major changes in the history of geomorphology in terms of theoretical shifts and/or social-cultural changes, but it seems clear that shifts in methodological practices also can produce deep changes in geomorphology as a whole. The camera has had a long, illustrious, and complex history as a geomorphic tool, and as such is useful for assessing larger geomorphological concerns and themes. The camera is also a symbol of the ongoing revolution in geomorphology from a data-poor to a data-rich subject; this revolution is built upon many methodological changes, and it has had many side-effects. The interrelated history of cameras and fluvial geomorphology provides an illuminating case study in past and present changes in the geomorphic sciences. Some past geomorphic practices, such as using photos as descriptive evidence for verifying geomorphic theory, remain as important approaches today. Other camera-based practices have dwindled to some degree, such as the production of large-area topographic maps through traditional aerial-photogrammetry, which have been overtaken by alternative methods such as Lidar and interferometric radar. And newer camera-based techniques, such as structure from motion photogrammetry, are at the heart of the recent democratization of geomorphic data. As the modern data revolution progresses, it is important to ask questions such as “who has been part of the data revolution, and what have been their motivations?” and “have winners and losers been produced as part of the data revolution?” Not all effects of the data revolution have been completely positive; many geomorphologists feel overwhelmed by big data expectations and methodological concerns. From a philosophy of science perspective, the moves toward population-like geomorphic data have strained “normal” inductive inference procedures, and recent research has brought to light inferential alternatives such as advanced data mining and the hypothetico-deductive approach. Even so, most current analytical techniques appear to be lagging behind the newly-introduced big data, producing “new wine in old bottles”: new data for old analyses. Beyond pure geomorphic research, the camera and its derivatives are also part of profound shifts in educational and outreach expectations and practices. Clearly, the data revolution in geomorphology is still in its infancy, and much of that revolution has been wrought by the humble camera.

Justiça de Transição no Brasil pós-ditadura civil-militar de 1964–1985: a importância das leis 9.140/1995 e 10.559/2002 para a implementação de políticas de reparação

<p>O tema da justiça de transição trata da busca por respostas a um passado de violações sistemáticas aos direitos humanos. Entre os mecanismos de justiça transicional comumente invocados, destacam-se: reparações, anistias, comissões de verdade, julgamentos, mudanças legais e institucionais. Com relação à experiência de justiça transicional posta em prática no Brasil a partir da sua mais recente democratização (1988), serão objeto de análise, no presente artigo, alguns aspectos das políticas de reparação, destacando-se a importância das leis 9.140/1995 e 10.559/2002.</p>

The mapping of forested archaeological sites using UAV LiDaR. A feedback from a south-west France experiment in settlement & landscape archaeology.

The recent democratisation of UAVs and the progress made in sensor miniaturisation now make it possible to embark miniaturised LiDaRs on board mini-UAVs. This possibility opens the way to a more systematic use of Lidar technology for the survey of small forested areas and for the mapping of isolated archaeological sites. The paper presents a feedback from the Garonne valley where the acquisition of Lidar data by drone on three archaeological forested sites allows to discuss the variations in the extent and use of the current forested area. The quality of UAV-Lidar data is also compared to data acquired by plane.

Current Status of Research Ethics Capacity in Myanmar.

Myanmar has recently surfaced from total military rule and efforts at conducting research to enhance the health of the population has increased during the recent democratization process, both from the military and civil sectors as well as support from international agencies. International guidelines mandate that such research requires prior ethics review in accordance with international standards. Previous commentators have expressed concerns, however, regarding the degree of adequate training in research ethics for investigators, the optimal functioning of Research Ethics Committees (RECs), and the extent of responsible conduct in research in low and middle-income countries. Such concerns might also be applicable to Myanmar, especially since it has recently emerged from a long period of military rule where there has been lack of basic freedoms and human rights abuses. We herein review the current gaps in research ethics capacity in Myanmar, the status of the existing RECs and the current efforts to establish training programs to enhance capacity in research ethics.

Los derechos humanos como precondiciones de la democracia: evidencia desde México

En la literatura se acepta que la democracia mínima fortalece la protección de los derechos humanos. Sin embargo, poco se sabe de cómo se comporta esta relación en países de reciente democratización, como México. De acuerdo con losestudios previos, a la par de la consolidación democrática, se debería observar una disminución de violaciones a los derechos humanos.Mientras que en países de reciente democracia, se debería observar un incremento de las violaciones. La evidencia empírica recopilada del caso mexicano no se ajusta a las dos hipótesis predominantes de la literatura. Podría tratarse de un caso anómalo. Quizá la política del combate al crimen organizado sea la causa principal de dicha anomalía, con un impacto negativo en la solidez de las precondiciones indispensables para que funcionen las reglas de la democracia.

Similar Critiques on Neoliberalism and Different Post‐Neoliberal Responses in Bolivia and Ecuador

This article aims to contribute to the understanding of recent democratization processes in Bolivia and Ecuador, two Andean countries that underwent similar processes of contestation to neoliberalism and implemented different strategies and policies to respond to it. In this article, I will focus on the similarities between the democratic processes of Bolivia and Ecuador in the context of neoliberalism and the divergent post‐neoliberal responses implemented in the last decade.

Rural electrification, electrification inequality and democratic institutions in sub-Saharan Africa

While it is commonly believed that democracy influences public service provision, comparably few studies have assessed how recent democratisation in developing countries has impacted tangible public service outcomes for economically deprived population shares. Using panel data from 46 sub-Saharan African countries between 1990 and 2010 as well as qualitative country case examples from Ghana, Swaziland, Uganda, Senegal and Rwanda, this paper examines considerable and growing rural electrification variations in terms of political, economic and demographic variables. The analyses suggest that democracy is strongly associated with rural electrification increases and rural versus urban electrification inequality decreases in sub-Saharan Africa. This result is robust to a variety of political, economic and demographic control variables as well as different econometric modelling assumptions. The paper further presents novel multi-variant evidence supporting that contested elections with strong oppositions as well as effective policy implementing institutions may act as intervening institutional mechanisms that explain a part of democracy's association with rural electricity provision. Higher income per capita, national savings and population densities may further foster rural electrification, while high foreign aid shares of GDP and rural population percentages may pose challenges to access equality.

Media business and political business: The Struggle for power towards the 2014 Presidential election in Indonesia

The 2014 presidential election has interestingly attracted the interest of several business people to participate in the struggle for presidential power in Indonesia. Jusuf Kalla, Aburizal Bakrie, Harry Tanusudibyo, and Surya Paloh are the examples of those business people who will potentially run for the 2014 presidential candidacy. This paper assumes that the increasing interest of business people in politics is due to the failure of post-1998 democratization in effecting new regulations for the involvement of business people in the political arena. While recent democratization has not allowed the participation of military personnel in politics, the post-1998 democratic structure has built new political opportunity for business people to become politicians. With special reference to Indonesia’s big business in media, this paper seeks to scrutinize the nexus between big business and politicians in their efforts to dominate the media be it printed, electronic, and online. Using the approach of the link between business and democracy, this development points to the formation of political and media oligarchies which have centered around certain business individuals and politicians as the preparation for their involvement in the 2014 presidential election. Additionally, analysis on the previous 2004 and 2009 presidential elections are of importance as well in providing the continuation and break-up of coalition patterns among big businesses or conglomerates and politicians. Finally, this paper argues that democratization has increased political opportunity for big businesses in using their media control and ownership for building coalitions with politicians in their quest to capture power in the 2014 presidential elections in Indonesia.

Portfolios of Political Ties and Business Group Strategy in Emerging Economies

Using data on 290 business groups, this study examines how ties with rival political parties maintained by Taiwanese firms from 1998 through 2006 affected business strategies, specifically the unrelated diversification into new industries. Taiwan’s recent democratization and emerging economy provide an ideal setting for studying the economic impact of firms’ ties with rival political parties. By focusing on a firm’s entire portfolio of ties instead of strictly dyadic business–government ties, we offer a novel model that demonstrates how the interplay of various ties affects a firm’s strategy differently under different forms of government. Our analysis shows that under a united government, ties to the ruling party facilitate entries of business groups into unrelated industries, while ties to the opposition parties inhibit such moves. Portfolios of ties to both the ruling and opposition parties impose additional obstacles to market entry. Under a divided government, however, ties to the ruling party are conducive to market entry, and portfolios of ties to both the ruling party and the opposition party with legislative authority offer a further boost. Regardless of type of government, the effect of having a portfolio of political ties tends to be mitigated by a firm’s internal resources and capabilities: a firm with sufficient resources and market entry experience has a better chance of achieving its goals even when a dominant political party withholds its support. Our study highlights the tradeoffs that politically connected firms confront in emerging economies with underdeveloped political and market institutions.

Identifying Islamist Parties Using Gunther and Diamond’s Typology

Recent democratization in the Muslim-majority countries (MMCs) has led to a surge in interest in the Islamist (or Islamic) parties. Research on these parties has, however, been plagued by the lack of agreement on identifying these parties. Analysis of various ways used to identify/define Islamist parties shows shortcomings. This article tries to resolve the conundrum by identifying these parties within a comparative framework, that is, Gunther and Diamond party typology. Two major types of Islamist parties are identified and placed within the Gunther and Diamond typology. This solution has two advantages. First, discussions on Islamist parties can now become more grounded, restricting analysts from labeling any conservative party in the MMCs as Islamist. Second, Islamist parties can be part of the general discussion on political parties in the literature, and inclination to regard them as singular or exceptional, because of their link with Islam, is discouraged.

The other ‘other’: Party responses to immigration in eastern Europe

Eastern Europe has traditionally been a region of emigration, sending thousands of refugees and migrants to the more developed and democratic west. The recent democratization and rising affluence of some eastern European countries, however, make them increasingly attractive destinations of migrant workers, slowly but surely turning them into immigrant societies. This article addresses the responses of political parties to the issue of immigration and immigrant integration. Through large-N quantitative analyses of 11 eastern European countries using the Chapel Hill Expert Surveys, the 2009 European Election Study, the Database of Political Institutions and World Bank indicators, it analyzes the causes of immigration salience, as well as the reasons behind immigration and integration policy positions. The article argues that partisan and voter views on immigration in eastern Europe are guided by ideological views on ethnic minorities, which have been the traditional ‘out-groups’ in the region. Partisan positions on immigration and immigrant integration are consequently determined by underlying ideological principles concerning cultural openness and acceptance of ‘otherness’. Immigrants to eastern Europe are consequently viewed as the other ‘other’.