Social Justice Policy Research Articles

The long cultural backlash movement: Pro‐regime social justice mobilizations, discourses and policies in Iran (1995–2010)

The long cultural backlash movement: Pro‐regime social justice mobilizations, discourses and policies in Iran (1995–2010)

DL-SLICER: Deep Learning for Satellite-Based Identification of Cities with Enhanced Resemblance

This paper introduces a deep learning (DL) tool capable of classifying cities and revealing the features that characterize each city from a visual perspective. The study utilizes city view data captured from satellites and employs a methodology involving DL-based classification for city identification, along with an Explainable Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool to unveil definitive features of each city considered in this study. The city identification model implemented using the ResNet architecture yielded an overall accuracy of 84%, featuring 45 cities worldwide with varied geographic locations, Human Development Index (HDI), and population sizes. The portraying attributes of urban locations have been investigated using an explanatory visualization tool named Relevance Class Activation Maps (CAM). The methodology and findings presented by the current study enable decision makers, city managers, and policymakers to identify similar cities through satellite data, understand the salient features of the cities, and make decisions based on similarity patterns that can lead to effective solutions in a wide range of objectives such as urban planning, crisis management, and economic policies. Analyzing city similarities is crucial for urban development, transportation strategies, zoning, improvement of living conditions, fostering economic success, shaping social justice policies, and providing data for indices and concepts such as sustainability and smart cities for urban zones sharing similar patterns.

Social and Political Mobilisation on Reservation Policy in Bihar: A Historical Contour

Presently, reservation stands as one of the significant issues in Indian politics. Its relevance has heightened with political mobilisation centred around reservation politics, particularly in Bihar politics. Bihar, one of the most diverse states in terms of population, is stratified based on caste and class consciousness. The distribution pattern of the reservation system in Bihar has always held a unique position in the prospects of reservation politics in India. The present paper focuses on the historical evolution of the reservation pattern in Bihar. Furthermore, it analyses how socio-political mobilisation has occurred in the shadow of reservation politics. This study also highlights the role of reservation politics in shaping political consciousness. It discusses the pivotal movement on mobilisation in Bihar's social justice policies and emphasises the long-term influence of reservation politics on the state's political environment.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE: CONCEPTUAL FIELD OF INTERPRETATIONS

In their legislative actions and political strategies, the EU’s countries integrate the promotion of sustainable economic and social development, justice, and equality policies with efforts to address worklife balance and personal life matters. Modern corporations, driven by a focus on economic success, are developing and implementing their work-life balance strategies for employees. Studies by European- American researchers define the balance between work and personal life as a significant component both of social quality of life and decent work. Nevertheless, in Ukraine, aspiring for European integration, the matter of preserving work-life balance still warrants attention from scientists, policymakers, and managers. This article's purpose is to explore the various definitions and interpretations of the key concept 'work-life balance' found in contemporary scientific literature. It aims to identify the range of attributes inherent in the phenomenon referred to as 'work-life balance.' The article conducts a classification of conceptual approaches for interpreting this concept, outlines its fundamental characteristics based on a comprehensive review of the specialized literature, and highlights the cognitive potential and limitations of specific conceptual models. The authors categorize conceptual models of work-life balance into two distinct clusters: 1) Attributive models, which place emphasis on either subjective or objective characteristics of balancing work and personal life; 2) Relational models, which aim to illustrate the connections between different life spheres. The second cluster comprises concepts that vary in their focus on segmenting or exploring the mutual influences between key life domains, highlighting the nature of these influences in terms of balance or conflict. Heuristic perspectives in the conceptualization of the work-life balance concept are evident in synthetic models capable of encompassing both objective and subjective aspects of the phenomenon. These models recognize the intricate relationships between various life domains, extending beyond the simple dichotomy of harmony vs. conflict. They also consider the potential for synergistic effects, such as compensation, mutual reinforcement, and the transfer of effects. This work contributes to the advancement of the work-life balance concept and its potential empirical application in sociological studies related to quality of life, decent work, and the evaluation of socially oriented development strategies for both states and corporations.

Social justice and public policy: Learning from school and counseling psychologists

For applied psychologists, the goal is to promote positive outcomes among the individuals and groups they serve. Psychological practice takes place within a real-world context, including societal conditions that both harm and support children. Within school and counseling psychology, growing recognition of the impact of society on children has led to efforts to identify social justice as a key framework and set of strategies. Despite the obvious impact of public policy on the lives of children, there is very limited research on pathways and experiences of counseling and school psychologists who are involved in public policy efforts in their capacity as psychologists. This study addresses this gap, interviewing eighteen individuals across the United Kingdom and United States. Key findings include the importance of cultural responsiveness, professional development opportunities, and building and sustaining relationships. Several implications for future research and practice are provided, highlighting the need for multidisciplinary collaboration among those engaged in public policy and social justice efforts.

A convergence of climate, social justice, and infrastructure policy enables forestry to cool cities

A convergence of climate, social justice, and infrastructure policy enables forestry to cool cities

Sustainable circular cities? Analysing urban circular economy policies in Amsterdam, Glasgow, and Copenhagen

ABSTRACT Cities play a central role in the circular economy (CE) as they are important centres of production and consumption, responsible for 80% of global GDP. European cities are particularly important due to their position of power in the global economy as major markets, and places of industrial and social innovation. Yet urban CE policies and discourses remain poorly researched and understood. This paper addresses this research gap by analysing and comparing the CE policies and discourses in different European cities to draw critical insights and recommendations. It does so by first reviewing academic literature on urban CE policies to develop a new conceptual framework to analyse CE discourses and policies. This framework is then used to analyse and compare the CE policies of three European cities: Glasgow, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. Results show that technocentric approaches to CE are dominant in the three cities. Moreover, they have very limited social justice policies for a fair distribution of the costs and benefits of a CE transition. Key policy recommendations to address these shortcomings are thus proposed. The insights brought about by this paper are valuable for both practitioners and academics seeking to improve urban CE policies.

Universalism as a Political Theology: Tamil Saivism, Neo-Saivism and Dravidian Movement

Tamil Saivism broadly consists of two doctrines: the dualistic, Bhakti Brahmanism, and the monistic, Cittar tradition. The monistic enlightenment philosophy of the Cittar tradition advocates the self-criticality/rationality of an individual in search of the ultimate truth of the cosmos. Since the Medieval period, Bhakti Brahmanism has been deeply rooted in Tamil society by controlling the temples. It aggrandizes the concepts of purity-pollution, Varna-jati, Sanskritisation, and patriarchy. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the neo-Saivites strived to revive Tamil Saivism from Brahmanism by creating a “Tamil Religion” which had to be secular, non-Brahmanical, non-Sanskrit, and anti-caste based on the Universalistic appeal of the Cittar tradition. For more than a century, the Dravidian Movement has been working towards de-Brahmanisation of the religious sphere. The de-Brahmaniastion began with the Statehood of temples and their properties by the Justice Party in the British Raj. In independent India, DMK extended it by making Tamil along with Sanskrit as a liturgical language, and priesthood was opened to non-Brahmins. The Dravidian Movement kept religion outside the political sphere, but its social justice policy revolved around the Universalistic philosophy. It viewed God as one and also regarded that god can be seen in a poor’s smile. Presently, the DMK government has opened the priesthood to women and proposed to establish an international centre for Vallalar, a 19th-century Cittar, to propagate his teaching of Universalism. The Universalistic political theology of the Dravidian movement has resulted in social harmony coupled with egalitarianism.

Conversations with GC Harcourt on Social Justice in the Face of Economic and Ecological Uncertainty

AbstractIn this article, I share insights from the conversations I have enjoyed with my father GC Harcourt on gender, social justice, and economic policy in the last years of his long and fruitful life. Our conversations reflected our overlapping but at times divergent responses to the disruptions caused by environmental, climate, health, economic, and political crises. The article reflects on our conversations around population, alternatives, the pervasiveness of racism in Australia, and the recurring questions of how to bring about change and how to continue despite political disappointments. The article teases out in a gentle way how my perspective, as a feminist political ecologist, diverged from GC Harcourt’s views, and what our conversations together suggest as important challenges to overcome as we confront the current crises of modern capitalism.

Socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality between and within countries in Europe: a population-based study.

Reducing socioeconomic inequalities in cancer is a priority for the public health agenda. A systematic assessment and benchmarking of socioeconomic inequalities in cancer across many countries and over time in Europe is not yet available. Census-linked, whole-of-population cancer-specific mortality data by socioeconomic position, as measured by education level, and sex were collected, harmonized, analysed, and compared across 18 countries during 1990-2015, in adults aged 40-79. We computed absolute and relative educational inequalities; temporal trends using estimated-annual-percentage-changes; the share of cancer mortality linked to educational inequalities. Everywhere in Europe, lower-educated individuals have higher mortality rates for nearly all cancer-types relative to their more highly-educated counterparts, particularly for tobacco/infection-related cancers [relative risk of lung cancer mortality for lower- versus higher-educated=2.4 (95% confidence intervals: 2.1-2.8) among men;=1.8 (95% confidence intervals: 1.5-2.1) among women]. However, the magnitude of inequalities varies greatly by country and over time, predominantly due to differences in cancer mortality among lower-educated groups, as for many cancer-types higher-educated have more similar (and lower) rates, irrespective of the country. Inequalities were generally greater in Baltic/Central/East-Europe and smaller in South-Europe, although among women large and rising inequalities were found in North-Europe (relative risk of all cancer mortality for lower- versus higher-educated ≥1.4 in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the England/Wales). Among men, rate differences (per 100,000 person-years) in total-cancer mortality for lower-vs-higher-educated groups ranged from 110 (Sweden) to 559 (Czech Republic); among women from approximately null (Slovenia, Italy, Spain) to 176 (Denmark). Lung cancer was the largest contributor to inequalities in total-cancer mortality (between-country range: men, 29-61%; women, 10-56%). 32% of cancer deaths in men and 16% in women (but up to 46% and 24%, respectively in Baltic/Central/East-Europe) were associated with educational inequalities. Cancer mortality in Europe is largely driven by levels and trends of cancer mortality rates in lower-education groups. Even Nordic-countries, with a long-established tradition of equitable welfare and social justice policies, witness increases in cancer inequalities among women. These results call for a systematic measurement, monitoring and action upon the remarkable socioeconomic inequalities in cancer existing in Europe. This study was done as part of the LIFEPATH project, which has received financial support from the European Commission (Horizon 2020 grant number 633666), and the DEMETRIQ project, which received support from the European Commission (grant numbers FP7-CP-FP and 278511). SV and WN were supported by the French Institut National du Cancer (INCa) (Grant number 2018-116). PM was supported by the Academy of Finland (#308247, # 345219) and the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 101019329). The work by Mall Leinsalu was supported by the Estonian Research Council (grant PRG722).

4. White Backlash and Power Preservation in Bell’s Interest Convergence Dilemma

Abstract In this paper I propose the concept of the Power Preservation Principle as an outgrowth of Derrick Bell’s well-known “interest convergence” dilemma. I posit that the Power Preservation Principle helps us begin to explain and understand the rapid deterioration and retrenchment of inclusive social justice policies over the last few decades.

A social justice policy framework for funding the acquisition of higher education qualifications in South Africa

A social justice policy framework for funding the acquisition of higher education qualifications in South Africa

Sehat sahulat: A social health justice policy leaving no one behind.

Sehat sahulat: A social health justice policy leaving no one behind.

Revisiting social work professional identity in the light of the impact of COVID-19

ABSTRACT The meanings and status of social work—and potentially professional identities—vary internationally according to factors such as roles, training and status, as well as political, economic and social contexts. A new contextual element for social work identity is the profession’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This paper considers recently published international literature discussing social work and social work education during the pandemic; and revisits the author’s previously published findings about social work professional identity. Following a literature search, the resulting articles were treated as texts and analyzed using the theoretical concept of interpretative repertoires. The academic literature indicates that, globally, social workers have played an essential role during the pandemic. The importance of professional identity as a source of collective support, pride and inspiration is consistently highlighted. Professional values and ethics have provided guidance for dealing with unprecedented situations, both in social work practice and social work education. Social workers and educators have mobilized around professional identity to advocate for social justice and fairer policies. Innovative fieldwork placements have expanded students’ understanding of how organizations can work for social change. The literature highlights social work education’s vital role in supporting students to explore and develop professional identity.

Upholding Multilingual Learners’ Civil Rights under ESSA: State Education Agency Leaders and the Contextual Factors Shaping Their Work

Purpose: Alongside the inequities surfaced by COVID-19, a confluence of demographic and policy-related shifts over the last few decades has elevated the education of multilingual learners (MLs) in state education agency (SEA) leaders’ work. This study employs an ecological perspective to examine how SEA leaders promote social justice policy implementation in their efforts to uphold MLs’ civil rights under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Research Methods: Given its embeddedness in a research-practice partnership (RPP) that emphasizes integration of researchers’ expertise with SEA leaders’ real-world knowledge, the study employs a participatory research approach. Drawing on 23 semistructured interviews with SEA leaders and 20 hours of observations during RPP meetings, the authors engaged in an iterative analysis process involving coding, memoing, and extensive member checking. Findings: Findings show the dual roles that leaders played to uphold the spirit of civil rights law across local education agencies (LEAs) and within SEAs, and they highlight the structural, cultural, and political dynamics that operated to enable or constrain this work. The study also reveals that cross-state collaboration may be a powerful mechanism for upholding ML civil rights in ways that go beyond compliance toward transformation and social justice. Implications: Although ESSA expanded the role of the SEA in policy implementation, little attention has been given to supporting state-level organizational development. Our findings suggest the need to allocate resources to support SEA capacity development. Such support is ever more critical as state systems work to develop coherent and aligned supports in response to COVID-19-related disparities.

Social (In)justice, climate change and climate policy in Western Australia

ABSTRACT Climate change is a social justice issue, and people who experience disadvantage and marginalisation are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In 2019–2020, the government of the state of Western Australia (WA) held the world’s first inquiry into climate change and health. The Inquiry report, submissions, and hearing transcripts make an important contribution to a small but growing body of evidence that climate change exacerbates and reinforces existing social inequalities in WA in areas such as health, economics, gender relations, and access and inclusion. However, in late-2020, the WA government released its 38-page Climate Policy, with very limited reference to social justice and only one use of the word ‘people’. Our critical intersectional feminist analysis finds a prevailing dissonance between climate evidence and climate policy in WA. Climate governance in WA is ill prepared, if not unwilling, to support people who experience disadvantage and are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. There is an urgent need for policies and actions to address multiple dimensions of inequality under climate change, across the fields of climate change mitigation, adaptation, and disaster response.

The Instagram Activism Slideshow: Translating policy argumentation skills to digital civic participation

The Instagram Activism Slideshow helps undergraduate students bridge theory and practice by connecting the media arguments they see in their daily lives to the principles of policy argument they learn in argumentation courses. Students use a relevant argumentation theory or concept to argue for a public policy in a concise and palatable Instagram “slideshow” format. The Instagram Activism Slideshow engages students with a highly relevant media context, equips students with a meaningful product for their professional portfolios, and teaches students how to leverage argumentation for advocacy. Courses This assignment is suitable to relevant upper-division undergraduate communication courses related to argumentation, social and digital media messaging, civic participation, social justice, and public policy. Relevant courses might include argumentation and debate, argumentation and advocacy, argumentation and public policy, and social media campaigns. Objectives The purpose of this assignment is to assist students in: (1) understanding how stock issues arguments apply to public policy rhetoric; (2) effectively planning, creating, and presenting multimedia arguments; and (3) analyzing and evaluating public policy arguments.

Las madres jóvenes en España. Explorando los condicionantes de la edad a la primera maternidad desde la perspectiva de géner

This article analyzes the determinants of age at first childbearing among young women in Spain. First, it provides a theoretical, conceptual and empirical review on the age as one of the determinants of first motherhood. Then, it analyses the results of the Synthetic Report of 2019 Youth Maternity Study performed by the Queen Sofia Center on Adolescence and Youth. Finally, a quantitative study is conducted with the sample of mothers, with the aim of analyzing the gender implications of variables influencing age at first childbearing. Age cohort, level of studies, employment and couple situation and availability of independent housing appear as the main determinant categories of an unwanted untimely motherhood pattern, characterized by unstable couple situations that affect the trajectory of women’s life. The results indicate the need to generate public policies for equality and social justice

Racial Attitudes and Criminal Justice Policy

Empirical research on public policy preferences must attend to Whites’ animus toward Blacks. For a quarter-century, studies have consistently found that Kinder and Sanders’s four-item measure of “racial resentment” is a robust predictor of almost every social and criminal justice policy opinion. Racial animus increases Whites’ opposition to social welfare policies that benefit Blacks and their support for punitive policies that disadvantage this “out-group.” Any public opinion study that fails to include racial resentment risks omitted variable bias. Despite the continuing salience of out-group animus, recent scholarship, especially in political science, has highlighted other racial attitudes that can influence public policy preferences. Two developments are of particular importance. First, Chudy showed the progressive impact of racial sympathy, a positive out-group attitude in which Whites are distressed by incidents of Blacks’ suffering (such as the killing of George Floyd). Second, Jardina and others documented that Whites’ in-group racial attitudes, such as White identity/consciousness or white nationalism, have political consequences, reinforcing the effects of racial resentment. As the United States becomes a majority-minority nation, diverse in-group and out-group racial attitudes are likely to play a central role in policies—including within criminal justice—that the public endorses.

COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in the United States: a social justice policy

ABSTRACT Introduction Vaccination is the most effective strategy to mitigating COVID-19 and restoring societal function. As the pandemic evolves with no certainty of a herd immunity threshold, universal vaccination of at-risk populations is desirable. However, vaccine hesitancy threatens the return to normalcy, and healthcare workers (HCWs) must embrace their ambassadorial role of shoring up vaccine confidence. Unfortunately, voluntary vaccination has been suboptimal among HCWs in the United States, a priority group for whom immunization is essential for maintaining health system capacity and the safety of high-risk patients in their care. Consequently, some health systems have implemented mandates to improve compliance. Areas covered This article discusses the ethical and practical considerations of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies for HCWs utilizing some components of the World Health Organization’s framework and the unique context of a pandemic with evolving infection dynamics. Expert opinion COVID-19 vaccine mandates for universal immunization of HCWs raise ethical and practical debates about their appropriateness, especially when the vaccines are pending full approval in most jurisdictions. Given the superiority of the vaccines to safety and testing protocols and their favorable safety profile, we encourage health systems to adopt vaccination mandates through participatory processes that address the concerns of stakeholders.