Public Sphere Research Articles

‘Everywhere you get models of what you should be like’: ideals of masculinity and therapeutic culture constraining young men’s mental health and gendered subjectivities

ABSTRACT This paper presents a novel approach to youth mental health by examining the connections between young Finnish men’s mental health, ideals of masculinity, and public discourses of mental health. Drawing from critical sociological and feminist theories on gender, power, and therapeutic culture, we apply a thematic discursive analysis to a questionnaire data (n = 910) about men’s mental health targeted at young men (primarily aged 15-29). The findings illustrate how young Finnish men consider ‘traditional’ ideals of masculinity widespread in Finland, restricting the actions of men, and upheld by narrow representations of gender. In addition, young men display critical reactions to the public discourses of mental health, especially the ones they feel are repeated in the media. These discourses are seen as insufficient and too individualised, echoing therapeutic culture. Based on our results, we argue that the highly individualised and gendered discourses of mental health, deriving from therapeutic culture and rooted in Finnish cultural and institutional practices, are inadequate for supporting young men’s mental health. Instead, these practices can create a vicious cycle where the often-well-intended efforts can limit and guide young men towards restricted gendered possibilities to express themselves, talk about mental health, and seek support if needed.

“When the Bills Keep on Coming:” the Experiences of Seafood Processors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Essential workers were at increased risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, including seafood processors who are often rendered invisible within the public sphere. To examine the health and safety concerns of seafood processors, many who are low income or im/migrant workers on H-2B visas, our team conducted qualitative research with 44 participants. We found that in addition to high occupational health hazards that existed before the pandemic, COVID-19 increased workers’ financial risks, which put them in more dangerous health and safety positions, since they needed to work through physical and mental health illness. These financial risks can be seen through the themes of paid sick leave, mental health, economic duress, and primary care access. We conclude with three recommendations to the H-2B visa worker program, which will not only decrease health disparities for im/migrant workers, but also increase health equity across seafood worker populations.

Food poverty as a barrier for a healthy and climate-friendly nutrition in Austria

Abstract Background The food system plays a crucial role in promoting healthy and climate-friendly living. One fundamental aspect is accessibility. However, in Austria, there is a lack of systematic and regularly conducted studies on food system accessibility. To address this gap, a comprehensive study on food poverty has been conducted for the first time in Austria. Methods We used a mixed methods approach, combining expert workshops, a representative questionnaire survey (n = 2004) using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and focus groups (n = 20) with affected individuals. Results Approximately 12 percent of people living in Austria are affected by moderate and/or severe food poverty. These individuals struggle to afford sufficient quantities and quality of food due to financial constraints or limited access in general. Over four percent experience severe food poverty, leading to skipped meals or even days without food. People affected by food poverty would like to focus more on healthy shopping and quality of food (prioritizing fresh food over cheap high-processed food). The biggest hurdles relate to a lack of financial resources, too little time and a lack of affordable (healthy and climate-friendly) options. Conclusions Food poverty is a phenomenon in Austria that has received little attention to date. Public discourse often attributes nutritional problems to information gaps or individual competence, neglecting the impact of structural conditions. Addressing food poverty requires holistic approaches that avoid stigmatization. Recognizing it as a social, health, climate, and agricultural policy concern necessitates robust monitoring and considering the social and environmental aspects of nutrition holistically.

Analyzing Public Discourse on the Affordable Care Act through YouTube Comments

Abstract Introduction Social media’s pervasive role in daily life provides a unique avenue for understanding public sentiments. This study utilizes YouTube comments on an MSNBC video about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to explore public opinions on the policy and its political implications. Methods A qualitative analysis of YouTube comments on an MSNBC video was conducted. Netlytic, a scraping tool, gathered 1,949 comments. Thematic analysis, based on a coding framework derived from Semetko and Valkenburg’s frames, identified three predominant frames: Responsibility, Human Interest, and Economic Consequences. Results Of the 1949 comments posted in response to the ACA video on YouTube, 488 were analyzed. Three media frames were used to categorize the comments. Among the analyzed comments, 42% fell within the Responsibility Frame, indicating that 205 comments attributed responsibility for ACA-related issues, healthcare access, and costs to political parties, individual politicians, and government entities. The Human-Interest Frame accounted for 11% of the comments, with 53 remarks reflecting individual experiences related to healthcare access and costs. Additionally, 26% of the comments fell within the Economic Consequences Frame, signifying those 125 comments included remarks concerning the economic impacts of the ACA, such as increased healthcare access, taxes, and penalties. The remaining 21% of comments did not align with the three frames. Conclusions This study embarked on a comprehensive exploration of public discourse surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) within the context of the 2024 presidential election, utilizing YouTube comments as a rich source of qualitative data. Through a meticulous methodological approach, which included thematic framing analysis and intercoder reliability assessments, valuable insights into the diverse perspectives and sentiments expressed by social media users regarding this critical healthcare legislation were gained. Key messages • Social media allows for real-time understanding of people’s thoughts, beliefs, opinions, and ideas, as well as serves as a useful tool that fosters broad, unfiltered data/content. • Researchers conducted a qualitative analysis of public discourse on YouTube to explore the range of sentiments regarding the ACA.

Finally, some hope. Communicating systemic aspects of climate‐change mitigation

AbstractClimate communication, including from museums, often advocates individual lifestyle changes, and while these are necessary, the biggest emissions reductions will come from the systemic transition to renewable energy sources. The importance of this systemic change and its attainability has been under‐communicated in the public discourse, although bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have increased their focus on it. We tested a message focusing on systemic aspects and actions that individuals can do to accelerate the renewable energy transition against a message advocating lifestyle change and a neutral message on the science of climate change. The neutral message elicited the highest levels of negative emotions, whereas the systemic message elicited higher levels of hope. These higher hope levels mediated increased behavioral intentions for doing the suggested system‐aimed actions and for making lifestyle changes. Our results suggest that museums and climate communicators should prominently feature systemic aspects of climate change mitigation.

Analyzing Process Types in Nigerian Newspapers Political Headlines Using Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) Transitivity Approach

Purpose: This study aims to examine the use of process types in Nigerian political headlines using the transitivity approach within the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). The purpose of the research is to understand how language is used to construct political narratives in Nigerian newspapers, focusing on the different process types—material, mental, relational, verbal, behavioral, and existential—that shape public perception of political events and actors. Methodology: The study adopts a qualitative method, analyzing 50 political headlines from five major Nigerian newspapers: Vanguard, Leadership News, Punch, Daily Trust, and The Guardian Nigeria. The headlines, selected from articles published between January 2024 and September 2024, are categorized and analyzed based on Halliday's transitivity framework. Findings: The findings reveal that material processes are the most frequently used, representing 48% of the headlines, followed by mental (32%), verbal (20%), and relational processes (10%). Existential and behavioral processes were minimally represented. These results suggest that political discourse in Nigeria is predominantly action- and belief-oriented, with a focus on tangible actions and the intentions of political figures. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study makes a unique contribution to theory by applying the SFL transitivity framework to Nigerian political headlines, expanding the understanding of how process types reflect political actions, intentions, and relationships. The findings have practical implications for media practitioners and politicians in crafting messages that effectively engage the public, emphasizing actions and beliefs to influence perception. From a policy perspective, the study suggests the need for greater media literacy to enable the public to critically assess political communication and its impact on public discourse.

DESCRIMINALIZAÇÃO DE DROGAS: UMA ANÁLISE ENTRE AS COMPETÊNCIAS DO LEGISLATIVO E JUDICIÁRIO

Drug use is proven to be harmful, both physically and intellectually. Currently, drugs are the main social evil, linked to all types of crime. The methodology used was the literature reference, and the STF decisions of 2023 and 2024 on the issue. In this sense, the objective of this research/article is to develop a study on the decriminalization of marijuana possession and its legal, economic, moral, and public health consequences. To do this, initially a definition of competences is made from the perspective of doctrine and jurisprudence regarding the limits of powers to legislate. It also addresses the main aspects related to drug use and its consequences; And, finally, the positive and negative points within the legal, moral, social, economic and public health sphere of this decision. It is concluded that this is a matter that should be entirely up to congress to decide, and that the STF usurps the functions of the Legislative and Executive branches by giving its opinion on topics that would be the responsibility of the technical body ANVISA. Even because they are decisions with broad repercussions, which could have major consequences for society, including in the field of public security, crime, society in general and public health.

Diet Impact Assessment model: an interactive tool for analysing the health, environmental and affordability implications of diets

Abstract Global diets, environmental factors, and health require a holistic approach in public health discourse that takes into account the well-being of both humans and planetary health. Modeling tools have demonstrated being useful to estimate priorities and differences between countries and gain insight into future paths that depend on predetermined priorities. Modeling efforts that include environmental goals indicate the possibility of reducing environmental impacts while both improving food quality and overall health outcomes, especially in high-income settings. The aforementioned forecasts highlight the effectiveness of giving priority to dietary recommendations that lead to better, balanced patterns as the most effective approach to reducing mortality risks and environmental implications. The presentation will introduce the Diet Impact Assessment (DIA) model - a new interactive modelling tool for analysing the health, environmental and affordability implications of diets and dietary change. The tool enables countries to analyse user-specific scenarios of dietary change, and to estimate the health, environmental and cost burden of each scenario in terms of diet costs, avoidable deaths, changes in resource use and compatibility with global environmental targets, including those associated with food-related greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use and fertilizer application. The tool was commissioned by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and is based on analytical frameworks developed by Marco Springmann and colleagues.

Public sentiment and ethical considerations of ChatGPT in higher education: Insights from data analytics of conversations on platform X

In today’s fast-paced digital world, generative AI, especially OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has become a game-changing technology with significant effects on education. This study examines public sentiment and discourse surrounding ChatGPT’s role in higher education, as reflected on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Employing a mixed-methods approach, we conducted a thematic analysis using Leximancer and Voyant Tools and sentiment analysis with SentiStrength on a dataset of 18,763 tweets, subsequently narrowed to 5655 through cleaning and preprocessing. Our findings identified five primary themes: Authenticity, Integrity, Creativity, Productivity, and Research. The sentiment analysis revealed that 46.6% of the tweets expressed positive sentiment, 38.5% were neutral, and 14.8% were negative. The results highlight a general openness to integrating AI in educational contexts, tempered by concerns about academic integrity and ethical considerations. This study underscores the need for ongoing dialogue and ethical frameworks to responsibly navigate AI’s incorporation into education. The insights gained provide a foundation for future research and policy-making, aiming to enhance learning outcomes while safeguarding academic values. Limitations include the focus on English-language tweets, suggesting future research should encompass a broader linguistic and platform scope to capture diverse global perspectives.

Debuting an innovative model for integrated child health care in the Southeast region, Bulgaria

Abstract Background Demographic indicators are fundamental drivers for health policy action. The Southeast Region (SER) is the largest statistical region (NUTS 2) in Bulgaria (BG), distinguished by the highest Infant mortality rates (IMR) and teenage crude fertility rates across the European Union (EU). For instance, the 2022 statistics reveal an IMR of 8.2 per 1000 live births in SER, notably higher than Bulgaria’s average of 4.8 and the EU’s average of 3.3. This disparity highlights the critical need for region-specific health initiatives aimed at curtailing IMR and harmonizing health outcomes throughout the EU territories. This report outlines such an initiative under the project code BG16FFPR003-2.001-012, recently funded by the EU. The novel SER initiative: This is the first presentation of the concept of integrated territory investments (CITI) and the innovative model for integrated child health care in SER, BG. The project impacts child health care across the four districts of SER - Burgas, Sliven, Yambol, Stara Zagora. The municipalities have collaboratively submitted 24 project proposals with educational bodies, NGOs, public institutions, and the Ministry of Health. The theoretical frame of the project’s model is underpinned by three foundational pillars: 1) Prevention in primary healthcare; 2) Child health care in hospitals; 3) Development of human resources, providers of health care. The forthcoming infrastructural, organisational, and capacity-building interventions will remain adaptable yet aligned with the overarching CITI framework. Conclusions A current phase of public discourse on the CITI concept and the innovative integrated model in SER is underway. Stakeholders are actively encouraged to provide input either through discussions or by participating in designated online surveys. Community engagement is instrumental in evaluating and prioritizing these initiatives, which aim to fundamentally transform the SER by leveraging its unique territorial potential. Key messages • Demographic indicators drive health policy. Project BG16FFPR003-2.001-012 targets EU disparities, lowering IMR and balancing fertility rates. • This is the first presentation of the “Innovative model for integrated child health care in SER”. The EPH Conference provides an ideal platform for sharing and discussion.

Women who pay their own brideprice: reimagining provider masculinity through Uganda's thriving wedding industry

AbstractIn Uganda, the ‘traditional’ wedding, wherein a groom brings money and gifts to his father‐in‐law's home, has long been understood as the ultimate demonstration of a man's social maturity. Yet masculine adulthood is becoming increasingly elusive as weddings become more difficult to afford. Widespread unemployment has rendered most young men unable to fund the rituals while weddings themselves have become exceptionally lavish: brideprice payments now include ‘cows’, or millions of Ugandan shillings, as well as furniture sets, refrigerators, televisions, and even cars. With wedding expenses surging and their fiancés out of work, women have begun ‘paying their own brideprice’, as Ugandans say, by contributing substantially to wedding costs. In this article, we explore this oft‐debated phenomenon. We propose that the emergence of women who pay their own brideprice has invited a broad reimagining of the gendered economic ideologies that tether men to money under the rubric of provider masculinity. That celebratory, seemingly innocuous events such as weddings occasion the questioning of hegemonic forms of masculinity is particularly notable in Uganda, where gender conservatism dominates public discourse. Beyond Uganda, our case suggests revisiting the normative as a potent site for observing gendered social change.

The involved and responsible outsiders: Norwegian gamer-parents expanding and reinforcing contemporary norms of parenthood

ABSTRACT Gaming is a popular activity among both children and adults. However, research on gaming in a family context often frames gaming as the interest of the child that parents must manage. Because gaming is becoming a more mainstream pastime for parents as well, we need knowledge about the ways gamer-parents position themselves as gamers and parents. Drawing on interviews with 29 Norwegian gamer-parents, we explore how they position themselves and how they assemble parenting. Contemporary parenting norms means engaging in risk-management, and public discourse has framed gaming and screen time as risks that need to be managed. How do gamer-parents position and assemble good parenthood to include gaming? Existing research on families and gaming has given insights into family struggles, dynamics, and mediation within the family. We add to this work by studying how gamer parents position themselves in relationships outside the family to other parents, relevant institutions, and to norms of good parenthood.

The future of AI in medicine and education - 10th anniversary of E- methodology community

Abstract This special edition of the E-methodology journal and conference, marking its 10th anniversary, explores the dynamic intersection of technology, science, and society. Dur- ing a decade we have seen a revolution in the meaning of “e” from being just a digi- tal version of human activity to a totally new world of LLMs (Large Language Models) and other deep learning possibilities. The articles in this volume delve mainly into the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) across diverse fields such as forensic science, education, healthcare, One Health, and public discourse, while examining the broader implications of technology on human life. Keywords: Artificial intelligence, technology, education, medicine

Towards Greater Freedom of Expression for Judges. The Rejection of a Culture of Judicial Silence and Its Benefits for Liberal Democracy*

The current study asserts that the rejection of a culture of judicial silence is beneficial to the architecture of liberal democracy, as judicial expression outside a courtroom assists in maintaining a balance between its components. On the one hand, this can create defence mechanisms against the alienation of the law from society (which appropriately appreciates the democratic component), while on the other, it aids in the actualization of the constitutionally determined role of the judiciary within the political system (safeguarding the liberal element). The discussion, which is essentially based on an analysis of international soft law, commences by examining two areas pertaining to judicial expression outside a courtroom: public discussion on the law and generally understood social life involvement. Subsequently, the limits of judges’ expression during such activities are analysed, and three proposals for their definition are put forward. As a next step, the paper highlights the diversity of judges as relevant to the problem at hand. The work concludes by outlining its findings, which also include the potential risks associated with the proposed project.

Transition and visual arts in Estonia 1988–1995: cultural policy, financing, legislation, and social changes

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the often-overlooked economic circumstances of artistic endeavors in Estonia from 1988 to 1995. It examines how the collapse of the Soviet Union, a deep economic crisis, the cessation of state patronage, and ultimately the downfall of the prevailing support system for art and artists – followed by a shift toward a neoliberal economy – impacted the arts and the principles governing the distribution of funds. The article covers legislative proposals and solutions introduced by the Estonian government, as well as the public discourse on economic and social crises within the art field, as reported by local newspapers.

Self-Accessing Popular Media for Suicide-Intervention: Exploring Youth-Led Public Discourse

Self-Accessing Popular Media for Suicide-Intervention: Exploring Youth-Led Public Discourse

Academic development for tomorrow? Claiming a clearer role for university pedagogy through a holistic framework

ABSTRACT The aim of this theoretically oriented article is to promote the educational role and purpose of academic development in higher education by suggesting a holistic framework and theoretical articulation for university pedagogy. By discussing links between university pedagogy, academic development, and broader views of university education, our framework clarifies the concept of university pedagogy in the Nordic countries. The framework encompasses four themes: (1) the relationship between educational theory and pedagogical practice; (2) the interplay between knowledge and the curriculum; (3) the university as an organization and social institution; and (4) the agency in and of academic communities. We argue that university pedagogy operating within this framework has the potential to strengthen the scholarly foundations of the development of university education. The framework can enhance critical public discourse on the purpose of university education.

CURRENT CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF LEGAL REGULATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF THE SOCIAL SPHERE IN THE TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES OF UKRAINE

The article defines that public administration is a system of activities of state authorities aimed at optimizing the use of resources to achieve the priority goals of social policy. It is emphasized that the social sphere covers a wide range of services that ensure the well-being of citizens, including health care, education, social protection and other critically important elements. The study of the problems of public management of the social sphere in territorial communities reveals a number of challenges, such as insufficient financial support, the absence of a clear legal framework, and a low level of public involvement in decision-making processes. Analysis of modern approaches to legal regulation in this area showed that effective management of social policy requires the integration of innovative methods, in particular digitalization of processes, which will contribute to the transparency and accountability of local self-government bodies. As a result of the research, it was found that the public management of the social sphere in the territorial communities of Ukraine is a complex, multifaceted process that requires a comprehensive analysis and a comprehensive approach to its improvement. The development of recommendations for improving management mechanisms should become a priority for researchers and practitioners in this important field. Effective management of the social sphere requires systematic control over the implementation of state policy. This involves not only an internal audit of the activities of local self-government bodies, but also mechanisms of public control that would allow residents to actively participate in the processes of evaluating the effectiveness of social programs. The study showed that the key factors in the effectiveness of public management of the social sphere in territorial communities are: adaptability of management mechanisms; integration of modern technologies; formation of partnership relations; personnel training and development; community involvement in decision-making processes, etc. Legal regulation of public management of the social sphere in territorial communities of Ukraine is conditioned by the need to create effective management mechanisms that meet modern challenges. Among the prospects for the development of legal regulation of public management of the social sphere in the territorial communities of Ukraine, the need for: improvement of the legal framework was emphasized; strengthening of financial autonomy; development of professional training; integration of modern technologies; community involvement in decision-making processes; focus on inclusiveness; monitoring and evaluation of efficiency; cooperation with international organizations; adaptation to changes in the socio-economic environment; increasing the level of trust in the authorities, etc. It is emphasized that the successful implementation of public policy in the social sphere depends on the effective interaction of all interested parties, which in turn will ensure sustainable development and increase the quality of life of the population.

Information as public good and public service media in Europe: Introduction to this special issue

The right to public life has been one of the most important achievements of modernity. It was a result of long and painful civil struggles for dignity in a democratic public sphere. While de jure we are all welcome in the public sphere, de facto rapid processes of fragmentation and numerous contexts of misinformation insulate the actual chances of meaningful contribution to public life. Platform users are aggressively approached as consumers of goods and services and continuously stimulated to produce large quantities of any content, just to feed the voracious platforms. The sobering truth is that many people on the private high-tech platforms do not act like true democrats, but like private individuals who pursue very personal aims. At the same time, a private person does not have a mandate to act in the public interest of the rest of the citizens. For these reasons, we turn to information as a public good and public responsibility in this special issue. It is about media as a public service that allows democracy to keep centre stage within a polity. When citizens interact with relevant public information, they build the capacity to control their political environment, to form informed opinions and act upon them. When this basic desideratum is not structurally at the core of society, one cannot even start to consider democracy as the first course of action for the generations to come. Information as a public good is not a thing of nature, but a purposeful action. We take this stance when we approach information as a public good, rather than some residual category of market failure. The scope of this special issue is to analyse and explore the resources and institutional settings that allow information to thrive as a public good in the European contemporary informational ecosystem.

LEGAL REGULATION OF THE APPLICATION OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IN PUBLIC SERVICE IN UKRAINE

The article analyzes the legal regulation of the use of political correctness in public service in Ukraine under modern conditions. At the beginning of the study, the prerequisites for the emergence and conditions for the implementation of the idea of political correctness are mentioned. The meaning of the concept of «political correctness» is revealed from different angles, taking into account what exactly is included in it and in what context it is used. It is indicated that the use of political correctness in the public service contributes to the establishment of contacts between different categories of persons, the formation of friendly and neutral relations, the strengthening of humanistic attitudes in society and the strengthening of the public's trust in the government (official apparatus). The main part of the article is devoted to the analysis of the normative consolidation of the idea of political correctness in international and domestic legal acts. It is found out, that the provisions of the studied international documents contain norms that indirectly regulate the issue of ensuring political correctness in the sphere of public administration and in other social spheres. There is no clear normative definition of the concept of «political correctness» in their provisions. It is established that the national legislation also does not contain a normative definition of the concept of «political correctness», but only establishes the principles of «discrimination-free barriers». These principles are laid down in Art. 24 of the Constitution of Ukraine. On the basis of the specified constitutional norm, legal acts detailing the application of political correctness in public service in Ukraine were adopted at different time intervals. At the end of the article, it is concluded that political correctness in the modern world is an important element of everyday communication, especially in the field of public administration. Political correctness is a standard of socially permissible and acceptable behavior of public officials when communicating with different groups (age, ethnic, sexual, etc.) of the population with the aim of preventing any oppression or humiliation of human honor and dignity, by using stylistically neutral vocabulary and non-verbal communication.