Social Power Research Articles

Procedural fairness in algorithmic decision-making: the role of public engagement

AbstractDespite the widespread use of automated decision-making (ADM) systems, they are often developed without involving the public or those directly affected, leading to concerns about systematic biases that may perpetuate structural injustices. Existing formal fairness approaches primarily focus on statistical outcomes across demographic groups or individual fairness, yet these methods reveal ambiguities and limitations in addressing fairness comprehensively. This paper argues for a holistic approach to algorithmic fairness that integrates procedural fairness, considering both decision-making processes and their outcomes. Procedural fairness emphasizes the importance of fair decision-making procedures, which aligns with theories of relational justice that stress the quality of social relations and power dynamics. We highlight the need for substantive procedural fairness to ensure better outcomes and address forward-looking responsibilities. Additionally, we propose leveraging Public Engagement, a core dimension within the well-established Responsible Research and Innovation framework, to enhance procedural fairness in ADM systems. Our contribution underscores the value of Public Engagement in fostering fairer ADM processes, thereby expanding the current focus beyond technical outcome-based approaches to encompass broader procedural considerations.

Social Power May Enhance Workplace Initiative: An Experimental Investigation Among Two Samples.

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) refers to voluntary actions members take to benefit organizational function. However, the benefits of OCB for organizations are sometimes countered by detriments for employees who exhibit them, resulting in threats to organizational members' psychological wellbeing. The present research examined whether social power-the perceived ability to control allocations and outcomes in a social hierarchy-could increase OCB endorsement while buffering against negative personal costs. Indeed, manipulated social power enhanced OCB endorsement. This effect was mediated by increased positive affect and goal seeking among participants assigned to a high-power condition relative to participants assigned to a low-power condition. Further, participants assigned to a high-power (vs. low-power) condition did not report increased occupational burden despite their greater OCB endorsement. Patterns of results were similar among a sample of community members (N = 149; Mage = 37 years) and a sample of university students (N = 129; Mage = 20 years). Organizations might empower members by employing procedural justice principles that facilitate members' meaningful contributions to workplace operations.

The “Invisible” Side of Yellow Coffins—The Set of the Chantress of Amun Tanethereret in the Musée du Louvre and Some Considerations on the Production of Yellow Coffins in the First Half of the 21st Dynasty

Through the coffin set of Tanethereret—dated to the first half of the 21st Dynasty—this article aims to underline the importance of analysing the masks and human features of ancient Egyptian yellow coffins and their value in disclosing new and important information about the Third Intermediate Period society. By moving between different visualisations, overlapping layers, measuring, and comparing, the sculpted human forms can be, for example, further indices of the quality of the production/”workshop”/artist and of the socio-economic power of the client. The possibility of making a three-piece set—coherent not only in decoration but also in form—suggests the existence of workshops capable of producing high-quality coffins and, consequently, that some people could still economically afford such coffin sets. Gaining access to such “workshops” and this type of production may indeed represent a further attempt to “manufacture social power” for the middle or high elites. Moreover, this specific case study also shows the dynamism of ancient Egyptian artistic production in a period of crisis, with artists able not only to re-adapt and re-commodify an ancient object but also to create possible new compositions with a balanced mix of styles between tradition and innovation. The study of this “invisible” part of the yellow coffins thus represents a new way of reconstructing the history of the people “hidden behind” the yellow coffins and the socio-economic sphere of ancient Egyptian society in the Third Intermediate Period, manifested through the resulting art and material culture.

Structural elements and performance of entrepreneurial management systems at large corporations

The Russian economy is currently lagging behind developed nations in terms of innovation, which necessitates adopting relevant approaches to managing socio-economic systems to keep them competitive and ensure their sustainable develop ment. Large corporations have significant resource potential and social power, which makes it relevant to improve management of their entrepreneurial activity that stimulates innovation development. The paper aims to judge the quality of entrepreneurial management systems at large corporations and evaluate their innovation performance. Corporate governance theory and man agement theory constitute the methodological framework of the study. The research methods used are qualitative, regression and comparative analysis. The empirical data are obtained from 160 corporations included in 2023 RAEX-600 Ranking and rep resenting 21 industrial sectors, as well as data from the RF Federal State Statistics Service and the All-Russia data system on com panies and business “For Honest Business” for the period of 2010–2022. The study identifies 19 elements of the entrepreneurial management system at large corporations, e.g., the presence of an R&D center, startup support, commitment to open innovation, a corporate venture fund, etc., and assesses how intensively they are used across industries. As for the innovation performance of the system under review, no statistical relationship was observed between performance indicators of many corporations and the volume of shipped innovative products. Thus, the research reveals that entrepreneurial management systems at a large number of corporations lack innovation performance, which requires further research into their quality.

Resistance to Oppression in Informal Work

Abstract This article takes the study of informal work and resistance to oppression in a new direction. The literature assumes that subaltern resistance is either collective, open, and occasional; or individual, covert, and habitual. The author argues that the reality is a complex mix of these responses, shaped by social power structures and legal frameworks. Based on ethnographic fieldwork with paid domestic workers in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, the author demonstrates that worker resistance is principally individual and multifaceted, including overt and covert, as well as habitual and occasional strategies. In all cases, entrenched racist and patriarchal structures and behaviors as well as the making and implementing of labor law shape social understandings of the nature of remunerated domestic labor and choices of resistance strategies. In this context, collective rights claiming remains challenging.

Food Encounters in the Tropics and the Andes: Isaac Holton’s Sensorial Construction of Disgust with Colombian Food in the Nineteenth Century

ABSTRACT This article examines the circulation of travel writing in the formation of white tastes created rhetorically and materially in opposition to the tastes of locals, focusing on food encounters between U.S. writers and Latin Americans in the mid-nineteenth century. It examines the representation of Colombian foodways in the travel accounts of North American botanist Isaac Holton published in 1857. Holton’s rejection of certain foods, especially those that Colombians seemed to enjoy most, is presented as evidence of his sense of moral superiority. Scholarship on American travel and empire shows how discourses in colonial food encounters and narratives about morality and good taste created stereotypes that persisted over time. Food mediated the daily relationship between travelers and locals in contexts of contested social and political power. To address the coloniality of food encounters, this essay focuses on the textual circulation of representations of African-descended and racially mixed Colombians as lazy and dirty. Their food and foodways served as political, racialized, and gendered metaphors that represented subaltern Colombians in a growing global community of readers. Narratives of disgust about people of the tropics and the Andes help readers to understand how early American travelers to Colombia drew on their sensory experiences to construct narratives that interpreted cultural differences as national and moral. This analysis exposes the link between emotions and senses in forming narratives of “otherness” in the Americas.

Determinants of malnutrition among adolescent females of age 15–19 years in an urban slum of Raipur city

ABSTRACT Context: Adolescent girls suffer the brunt of malnutrition due to increased nutritional needs to facilitate rapid growth spurt including menstruation and increased physical activity. This vulnerable group has low social power and is subjected to peer and social pressures related to body image and weight. All these factors along with the sociocultural milieu may lead to a spectrum of nutritional problems in them. Aims: To determine factors associated with malnourishment among adolescent females of age 15–19 years in an urban slum of Raipur City. Settings and Design: The study setting was the urban field practice area of the institute in Raipur. The study was an analytical cross-sectional study done from January 2022 to June 2023 among 401 adolescent girls of age 15–19 years. Methods and Material: The sampling was done using the consecutive sampling method. The study tools used were a semi-structured questionnaire on sociodemographic variables and details of the respondents, anthropometric measurements, dietary assessment using the 24-hour food recall method, and food consumption patterns using a food frequency questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: The Chi-square test of significance was applied to find the association between malnourishment with the input variables. For calculating the strength of the association, the odds ratio was estimated for those variables with P value < 0.2 in the Chi-square test, and later the odds ratio was adjusted for confounding with the same variables, using multivariable logistic regression. Results: According to BMI-for-age Z scores, 2% were severely thin (< −3 SD), 9.7% were thin (−3 to − 2 SD), 5% were overweight (1 to 2 SD), and 1.5% were obese (>2SD). While measuring the height-for-age Z scores, 5.5% had severe stunting and 21.9% had moderate stunting. Those respondents with educational status of high school or below [AOR 3.5 (1.8–6.8), P < 0.001] and those who did not consume a non-vegetarian diet [AOR 2.1 (1.1–4.1), P = 0.02] had significantly higher adjusted odds of being undernourished (severely thin or thin) as compared to those with educational status above high school and those who consumed a mixed diet, respectively. The respondents who are currently not going to school/college had significantly higher adjusted odds [AOR 2.2 (1.2–3.8), P = 0.007] of being stunted when compared to those who are attending school/college. Conclusions: The significant levels of malnutrition observed in this study among late adolescent girls aged 15–19 years—11.7% undernourishment, 6.5% overnourishment, and 27.4% stunting—highlight the concerning vulnerability of this population. The higher prevalence of stunting throws light onto the chronicity of malnutrition. As seen from the significant associations, proper education, and a mixed diet will help nurture a healthy female adolescent population.

Silk road heritage: The artistic representation of port trading culture in the images of characters in Qing Dynasty Guangzhou export paintings.

As customized artistic commodities, export paintings mirrored Guangzhou's unique overseas trade culture and social power in a microscopic view, nevertheless, few researchers have delved into the cultural relationship between the use of the painting techniques and the characters of the export paintings. Based on an iconographic approach, this article aims to analyze the historical iconography information of the Qing dynasty export paintings from the perspective of the trade development and cultural exchange between the East and West during the 18th century by the study of the export paintings' characters expressions and costumes colors, providing insights into the exploration of the value of tangible cultural heritage. In the process of our research, shows that: 1) the dominant laboring characters in the export paintings present standing postures, and most of them demonstrate negative emotions; 2) many of the characters of the export paintings show high similarities due to the assembly-line mode of painting during manufacture; 3) the portrayal of the characters in the export paintings reflects a return of a sense of humanity. This is evident in the fact that the subject of the paintings abounds in the scenes showing local folklore, working views, and daily life in Guangzhou. Meanwhile, the characters in the painting are vividly portrayed in a realistic style. The use of mixed colors on the costumes of different characters reflects a universal value of having regard for the equality of all men; 4) Guangzhou export painting decorative art evolution of the development of the dual development of Chinese and Western fusion of veins. Guangzhou export paintings of the Qing dynasty satisfied the customers' reverie for 'Oriental Civilization' and their purpose of seeking novelty of foreign cultures. It also revealed the subtle dynamics of the interplay between Guangzhou's social power, trading capital, and blending art.

Normative identity work: exploring Erich Fromm’s perspective on self and society

This article explores the potential of normative identity work to foster humanistic transformation, drawing from Erich Fromm’s social theory. By engaging with Fromm’s insights into the interplay between individuals and societal structures, the analysis demonstrates how identity work – understood as an ongoing process of self-construction within social contexts – can confront what Fromm terms the ‘pathology of normalcy’. Central to the discussion are Fromm’s reflections on identity and its relationship to the human needs for rootedness, relatedness and the construction of a frame of orientation. The article integrates Fromm’s views on identity with contemporary identity research, illustrating the tensions between conforming to societal expectations and the pursuit of self-realisation. It introduces the ‘normative ABC of identity work’, a model structured around three key dimensions: agency, belonging and coherence. This model offers a lens to examine the various ways societal forces shape identity work, influencing individuals in directions that may either align with societal norms or open pathways towards humanistic growth and transformation. In the conclusion, the article emphasises the relationship between identity work and Fromm’s concept of social character, highlighting how social character can reflect and reinforce societal patterns while also pointing to the transformative potential embedded in humanistic values. This synthesis provides a critical framework for understanding how identity work can both sustain and challenge existing social norms and power structures.

An intersectional approach on menstrual inequity as lived by women in circumstances of socioeconomic vulnerability in an urban and rural setting in Spain: a qualitative study

Since menstrual health and menstrual inequity are determined by social power structures, this study proposes to analyse, from an intersectional perspective, the experiences of menstrual inequity of women and people who menstruate (PWM) (≥18 years) under circumstances of socioeconomic vulnerability in an urban and rural setting in Catalonia (Spain), focusing on menstrual poverty, menstrual management and access to health care for menstrual health. An exploratory and interpretative qualitative study was conducted. Venue-based convenience sampling was carried out, recruiting women from a non-governmental organisation and a primary health care centre. Eighteen individual semi-structured interviews were conducted between October 2022 and February 2023. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Analysis revealed that menstrual care was generally a distant preoccupation that revolved around circumstances of socioeconomic vulnerability, housing, and productive/reproductive work. Menstrual poverty, menstrual management and menstrual self-care challenges, barriers to accessing health care for menstrual health, and menstrual taboo, stigma and discrimination were commonplace and deepened by socioeconomic vulnerability. In this way, women’s menstrual experiences were rooted in intersecting axes of inequity, based on gender, race and class. Intersectional and critical participatory research, policy and practice are imperative to develop counter mechanisms that confront systems of privilege-oppression to modulate menstrual experience, health and equity.

Critical Race Theory in Literature: In The Blood By Suzan-Lori Parks

This study seeks to explore the fundamental principles of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and to use it as an analytical tool in order to discuss Suzan-Lori Parks’s play, In The Blood. Through the key tenets of CRT such as the systematic racism, race as a social construct, intersectionality and power structures, it is framed a comprehensive theoretical background for a literary analysis. Relatedly, the primary focus of this study is to deeply analyze race, gender, power relations and socio-economic conditions with CRT through the playwright’s innovative representation of blackness. CRT clearly shows that racism is constructed through discriminative practices and sustained by law and institutions resulting in justification and accordingly normalization of oppression. In line with CRT’s main concerns, In The Blood embodies societal and ideological barriers and the dehumanization of black female bodies through social judgment, racial and gender discrimination, and motherhood. CRT essentially deals with how Parks reconstructs traditional narratives of guilt, shame, and femininity and claims that Hester is portrayed both as a victim of intersectional oppression and an individual struggling with the harsh conditions of life.

Alternative organization without vertical hierarchies of spatial scale?

Vertical hierarchies of spatial scale—where society in general, and organizations in particular, are differentiated into levels of spatial size—have often been criticized by those encouraging alternatives to capitalist organizing. These vertical scalings are said to promote authoritarianism, a monolithic capitalist economic system, uneven concentrations of social and organizational power and wealth, and ecologically destructive organizational growth. Consequently, so the argument goes, alternative organizing must scale horizontally whereby smaller organizations autonomously associate together into loose networks or federations. The aim of this contribution is to problematize such critiques of vertical hierarchies of scaling for alternative organization. To do so, I combine Management and Organization Studies (MOS) scholarship on scaling alternative organization with two theorizations of the politics of scale in human geography—namely those derived from Neo-Marxist Political Economy and Actor-Network Theories. My argument is that all those looking to understand and encourage the scaling of alternatives to capitalist organizing should engage with and not simply reject vertical scalar hierarchies.

I trust (you) therefore I am! From trust to post-trust: Transforming social paradigms

This paper challenges the conventional belief that trust is an essential component of social cohesion, for example, in the context of climate change denial and post-truth politics. It argues that simply increasing trust or distrust does not address the underlying issues of contemporary societal challenges. This is because these efforts presuppose a ‘trusting subject’ at the heart of the problem. The paper examines the process of subjectification, exploring forms of modern subjectification and how they relate to trust, and how individuals become trusting subjects in relation to and within certain social frameworks. Introducing a new typology, it categorises trust into subjectifying, counter-subjectifying and post-subjectifying forms, revealing how trust both influences and is influenced by social dynamics and power structures. The conclusion advocates a ‘post-trust’ approach, urging a reimagining of relationships with nature and others. This approach emphasises the interconnectedness of human and non-human actors and calls for new forms of relationality and sensitivity to address global challenges effectively.

Identifikasi Modal Sosial dan Kekuasaan dalam Underground Economy Pasar Maling, Kota Malang

Purpose: This study aims to reveal the role of social capital and power structures in the underground economy of Pasar Maling, Malang City. Methodology: This study used a phenomenological qualitative method. To obtain data, unstructured interviews and observations were conducted with triangulation of sources and Nvivo14 was used to process the data. Results: The research reveals the role of social capital in strengthening the existence of the underground economy through four main aspects: trust, networks, information, and norms. The power structure that can provide rules or contracts at Pasar Maling Malang City is in the form of informal contracts and is dominated by the non-government community, namely the Madurese ethnic community. This market is similar to a perfect competition market, but in the ongoing economy market, Pasar Maling Malang City has restrictions on entering the market or barriers to entry. Only people of the same ethnicity can participate in and conduct trading activities in Pasar Maling Malang City. Limitations: This research only focuses on the market's internal perspective, including sellers and the surrounding community in Pasar Maling. Contribution: This research may provide additional knowledge for readers and serve as a reference for further research on underground economy.

Information Privilege: Considerations for Library and Information Science Curriculum Design

Embedded within the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and building on the broader concepts of privilege and oppression, information privilege (IP) might be a useful lens for centering library and information science (LIS) curricula on information-related aspects of social power. IP suggests that individuals' access to and utilization of information is connected to demographic factors like socioeconomic status, place of birth, and gender. Despite the relevance of this concept to LIS scholarship and teaching, LIS scholarly discussions on information privilege are limited. The limited existing literature mainly extends Booth’s foundational essay exploring IP through the lens of institutional affiliation, stopping short of fuller sociocultural considerations. This essay considers IP as an information-focused organizing perspective within LIS teaching and curriculum development. The authors conclude with suggestions for building discussions of IP into LIS curriculum and teaching.

Assyrian Imperial Elites and Textile Culture of the 1st Millennium BC: Shaping Power Visions Through Textiles

Abstract As a crucial component of the materiality of the first world empire, textile culture documented in archival cuneiform documents, visual art, and archaeological materials from 1st-millennium BC Assyria enables historians to reconstruct the social identities, power visions, and economic systems of the people who ruled the “Land of Aššur”. Through the analysis of royal clothes, it is possible to form an idea of the clothing ensemble, the aesthetic, and power visions that shaped the presence of the king and his queen in public ceremonies and in visual art narratives, and to see how royal textile art played a role in political communication. Royal garments, combined with power accessories such as royal insignia and other objects, represented a powerful means to visualize royal personhood and what the institution of Assyrian kingship meant in the imperial phase of Assyrian history. Representations of royal scenes in visual art integrate the documentary picture from texts and archaeological materials and show how the royal costume developed over the Neo-Assyrian period and how the centrality and superior status of the royal person were emphasised by visual interaction between the king’s clothes and other textiles in the scene. Queenly garments represent another channel for the communication of the success of the Assyrian imperial project. Less represented in textual sources and material evidence are other upper-class sectors of Assyrian imperial society, in which textiles equally played an important role as markers of social identity and status. Non-royal textiles were an integral part of power narratives in the Neo-Assyrian age, contributing to create the sense of a common Assyrian identity, of elite’s unity and cohesion, and full adherence to the imperial project.

Thermal governance, urban metabolism and carbonised comfort: Air-conditioning and urbanisation in the Gulf and Doha

This paper develops the concept of thermal governance as a way to think critically about urbanisation and the management of heat at a time of climate change. Through the urban history of Doha between the 1950s and the 1980s, this paper deploys thermal governance to rethink urbanisation and air-conditioning dependency in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) cities, especially in relation to the notion of petro-urbanism. The ‘thermal’ in the concept emphasises the spatial connections of thermal exchanges across different scales and domains. This paper uses architecture, cooling technologies and urban thermal metabolism to understand the relations between hydrocarbons and political power. It specifically explores the linkages between the circulation of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon revenues on the one hand, and thermal privilege and violence in Doha and other GCC cities on the other hand. The notion of ‘governance’ allows the paper to move away from techno-centric and purportedly objective ways of understanding heat to comprehend how social and political power are implicated in the management of heat.

Female Image and Gender Discourse in Drama, Film and Television Literature

This paper aims to explore the multiple representation of female images in drama, film and television literature and the construction of gender discourse behind it. Through analyzing the shaping of female roles in different historical periods and cultural backgrounds, this paper reveals how they reflect the changes and conflicts of social gender concepts. The article emphasizes that the female image is not only the product of artistic creation, but also the mirror image of social gender power relations, which is of great significance to promote gender equality.

Transgender Women in India: Neocolonialism, Stigmatization and Discrimination

ABSTRACT Stigmatization is a widespread social process that is sustained via the use of social, cultural, economic, and political power, and it has negative outcomes such as discrimination and exclusion. In India, transgender people have historically been called Hijra, Aravanis, and Kothis, and they have struggled since British colonialism against cisgender and heteronormative conventions that label them as outsiders despite their deep pre-colonial cultural origins. This research uses Bronfenbrenner’s socio-ecological model t explore the independence and vulnerability of 45 transgender women living in Sambalpur City, Western Odisha, India. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather information from the group through the snowball sampling method. The research findings show that transgender women in India confront multiple forms of prejudice and stigma that diminish their agency and leave them more susceptible to harm. By underscoring the significance of historical, social, and cultural aspects, the socio-ecological model provides a holistic lens through which to comprehend these difficulties. Despite progress in legal recognition, transgender women continue to face significant barriers, necessitating ongoing socio-cultural, legal, and political efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination and enhance the agency, social inclusion, and wellbeing of transgender women.

Vernacular Design: Alive and Alert

This article debates that vernacular design is not a social reflection, but a social operation that stems from revisiting indigenous intelligence and employing it to generate social power, which could establish a nature-culture balance. Such a balance is intended to respond to the local way of life and address different daily-life problems encountered by each individual. This direction differs from that of industrial design, which, by promoting uniformity, requires customers or users to adjust themselves and their lifestyles. Whereas industrial design focuses on mass production and creation of a unified mega-culture known as globalization, vernacular design aims to address individuals’ problems, drive their chosen way of life forward, and strive for sustainability. In other words, vernacular design responds to an individual’s needs in his or her own way of life and promotes knowledge sharing with every community member. In this system, community members are skilled designers who possess their own aesthetic vernacular and utilize public property as an asset for their designs. Aiming for sustainability, vernacular design progresses in four levels: 1) hybridizing, by modifying the function of a modern, mass-produced commodity; 2) maintaining indigenous identities to propel the native way of life; 3) common-pooling to benefit all community members collectively; and 4) devising a strategy to address social issues or to change public policies.