State Power Research Articles

Research ethics and state power: access vs integrity in the study of armed actors

ABSTRACT In the study of armed actors, the state poses significant – yet often unrecognised – ethical challenges for researchers. This article provides a framework for researchers to pro-actively manage their relationships with the state. First, we show how the state affects the ethics of research on armed actors. Then we illustrate the danger of ignoring, discounting, or misreading the state, both at home and abroad. We question common assumptions about state unity, competence, and legitimacy, and we identify a persistent ethical dilemma between access, which is often mediated or controlled by the state, and integrity. We probe this dilemma via three dimensions of state power: the power of funding and partnership; the power of policy laundering; and the power of gatekeeping, surveillance, and coercion. Ultimately, we argue that ethically sound research on armed actors requires researchers to carefully and continuously re-examine their beliefs about the state. Along the way, we offer practical guidance on interacting with state-backed funders; mitigating risk and tempering the influence of the state during fieldwork; and thinking through the state’s complex and contradictory roles. We also raise uncomfortable questions about the red lines separating researchers’ interests from states’ interests.

Many hurdles to take: Explaining peacekeepers’ ability to engage in human rights activities

Human rights are a fundamental principle and purpose of the United Nations (UN). Yet, UN peacekeeping operations (PKOs) exhibit substantial variation in their ability to engage in human rights activities. While existing research has investigated deployment and mandates, we explain what peacekeepers can actually do on the ground. We argue that the UN Security Council’s permanent member states (the P5) limit human rights mandates if they have private interests in PKO host countries, thereby diminishing peacekeepers’ ability to promote and protect human rights. Moreover, armed conflict shifts priorities away from human rights activities. We use novel data on 21 human rights activities in African countries (1991–2016) and item response models to capture PKOs’ latent ability to engage in these activities. Random and fixed effects regression and mediation analyses with sensitivity tests support our expectations. We find that the P5’s economic interests in the PKO host country negatively correlate with the strength of human rights mandate provisions, which in turn negatively correlates with PKOs’ ability to engage in human rights activities. We find similar, although less consistent, correlations for P5’s security interests. Yet, while mandates partly define the scope of PKOs’ activities, field-level conditions also have an influence. Specifically, ongoing armed conflict negatively correlates with PKOs’ ability to engage in human rights activities. Our results suggest that rising challenges to the liberal international order by powerful states, coupled with the more frequent deployment of PKOs in conflict zones, will likely increase the hurdles that UN PKOs need to overcome to meet expectations regarding their human rights engagement.

Comparative Analysis of the Physical, Tactical, Emotional, and Mood Characteristics of Under-13 Soccer Players by Performance Level

Background and Objectives: Soccer is a sport characterized by various unpredictable situations in which physical abilities are associated with athletic performance. There are several capabilities that young soccer players must develop to adapt to the needs of the competition. This study analyzes the physical characteristics, tactical knowledge, emotional intelligence, and mood states of youth soccer players at different competitive levels. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 36 male soccer players with an average age of 12.65 ± 0.48 years, weight of 44.92 ± 7.49 kg, and height of 157.2 ± 0.08 cm. A cross-sectional correlational study design was selected. Inferential analysis was conducted via the RV coefficient to assess relationships between groups. Two-sample tests (Student’s t test or the Mann–Whitney U test) were used to assess the distribution of the samples. Standardized mean differences (i.e., Cohen’s d) were calculated as effect sizes. Results: For the yo-yo intermittent endurance test level 1, the Premier category showed higher speed (p = 0.01, d = 0.40) and superior estimated VO2max (p = 0.01, d = −0.91). The statistically significant variables included the hamstring strength exercise of the hamstrings for the angle of rupture (p = 0.04, d = −0.04, d = −0.72), the COD-Timer 5-0-5 for contact time—5-0-5 (ms) (p = 0.04, d = 0.69) and 10 m—5-0-5 (s) (p = 0.02, d = 0.79), tactical knowledge of in-game performance (p = 0.01, d = −1.19), support level (p = 0.01, d = −1.27), decision-making ability (p = 0.01, d = 0.59), melancholy (p = 0.01, d = 0.59), confusion (p = 0.01, d = 0.56), and emotional intelligence (p = 0.04, d = 0.77). The Premier category presented slightly higher averages than did category A. In the assessment of running-based anaerobic sprint test power (p < 0.05, d = 0.83) and mood states (p < 0.05, d = 0.59), players in category A presented higher results. Conclusions: The performance capacity of youth soccer players encompasses a multidimensional complexity that includes physical, tactical, emotional, and psychological aspects, which vary among players of the same age.

Expanding lake and the landless pastoralists in pastoral Tibet, China

ABSTRACT This paper argues that everyday politics are instrumental in negotiating development outcomes despite the pervasive influence of centralised state power. The paper highlights the fluidity and adaptability of Chinese policy formulation, emphasizing local learning and improvisation. This is especially important for pastoral communities in remote rangelands, where land appropriation and environmental exploitation are increasingly evident. The paper sheds light on the influential role of everyday political practices in shaping outcomes within the Chinese context, while simultaneously contesting simplistic portrayals of top-down state planning in China. By emphasizing the existence of manoeuvrability and opportunities for negotiation within this framework, the paper advocates for a nuanced understanding of governance dynamics and power relations in the Chinese context.

How informal intergovernmental organizations facilitate cooptation and promote peaceful change in times of power rivalry

ABSTRACT Cooptation provides a strategy for powerful states to manage power rivalries through institutional change. It entails coopting weaker (and possibly rising) states to support the institutional order by granting them a greater say in that order. However, the ability of states to broker such arrangements depends on the willingness of rivals to be coopted and on the properties of institutions through which cooptation is pursued. In this article, I contrast the comparative efficacy of pursuing cooptation through formal intergovernmental organizations (FIGOs) such as the UN or IMF, with pursuing cooptation through informal intergovernmental organizations (IIGOs) such as the G20, which are not legalized and have no independent operational capacity. I argue that while FIGOs have a comparative advantage for managing and maintaining a prevailing institutional order through adaptation, IIGOs often offer a more propitious institutional setting for achieving peaceful transformation of an institutional order in response to power rivalry.

Characterising the power spectrum dynamics of the non-REM to REM sleep transition.

The transition from non-rapid eye movement (NREM) to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is considered a transitional or intermediate stage (IS), characterised by high amplitude spindles in the frontal cortex and theta activity in the occipital cortex. Early reports in rats showed an IS lasting from 1 to 5 s, but recent studies suggested a longer duration of this stage of up to 20 s. To further characterise the IS, we analysed its spectral characteristics on electrocorticogram (ECoG) recordings of the olfactory bulb (OB), primary motor (M1), primary somatosensory (S1), and secondary visual cortex (V2) in 12 Wistar male adult rats. By comparing the IS with consolidated NREM/REM epochs, our results reveal that the IS has specific power spectral patterns that fall out of the NREM and REM sleep state power distribution. Specifically, the main findings were that sigma (11-16 Hz) power in OB, M1, S1, and V2 increased during the IS compared with NREM and REM sleep, which started first in the frontal part of the brain (OB -54 s, M1 -53 s) prior to the last spindle occurrence. The beta band (17-30 Hz) power showed a similar pattern to that of the sigma band, starting -54 s before the last spindle occurrence in the M1 cortex. Notably, sigma infraslow coupling (~0.02 Hz) increased during the IS but occurred at a slower frequency (~0.01 Hz) compared with NREM sleep. Thus, we argue that the NREM to REM transition contains its own local spectral profile, in accordance with previous reports, and is more extended than described previously.

Introduction to the BASAS 2023 special section

ABSTRACT This special section of Contemporary South Asia brings together a curated selection of papers presented at the 2023 British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS) Annual Conference, held at the University of Leeds. These papers explore enduring themes of memory politics, state power, and socio-spatial exclusion in South Asia, examining how colonial legacies shape contemporary dynamics. Collectively, the studies underscore the persistence of colonial pasts in modern India’s socio-political landscape and illuminate the creative strategies of resistance employed by marginalized groups. This section contributes to critical discussions on South Asia's politics of memory, space, and resistance, offering fresh insights into the ways power is exercised and contested.

Neoliberalism and legal culture: The path of least resistance is what makes rivers run crooked

This article examines the relationship between neoliberalism and legal culture in South Africa, focusing on how the neoliberal paradigm influences legal interpretation and the adjudication of socio-economic rights. It explores how neoliberalism, defined as the dominance of capitalist forces over weaker oppositional interests, permeates judicial decision-making, shaping how courts address issues of inequality and social justice. The article argues that neoliberalism, in prioritizing market interests, has contributed to a conservative legal inertia that prevents transformative legal outcomes. This dynamic has entrenched existing socio-economic disparities, especially as state power continues to serve the interests of capital, reinforcing apartheid-era economic structures. Despite the transformative potential embedded in South Africa's constitutional framework, the legal system remains constrained by what Karl Klare terms as professional sensibilities, codes, and values, many of which are influenced by neoliberalism. Drawing on theoretical insights of Karl Klare, the article calls for a rethinking of legal culture and a shift towards more relational, metaphorical approaches that challenge hegemonic narratives. Only by resisting these metanarratives can meaningful transformation be achieved in the pursuit of equality and justice.

Machine Learning Applied to Lithium‐Ion Battery State Estimation for Electric Vehicles: Method Theoretical, Technological Status, and Future Development

ABSTRACTLithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) are extensively utilized in electric vehicles due to their high energy density and cost‐effectiveness. LIBs exhibit dynamic and nonlinear characteristics, which raise significant safety concerns for electric vehicles. Accurate and real‐time battery state estimation can enhance safety performance and prolong battery lifespan. With the rapid advancement of big data, machine learning (ML) holds substantial promise for state estimation. This paper systematically reviews several common ML algorithms, detailing the basic principles of each and illustrating their structures with flowcharts. We compare the advantages and disadvantages of various methods. Subsequently, we discuss feature extraction techniques employed in recent studies for estimating state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), state of power (SOP), and remaining useful life (RUL), as well as the application of these ML methods in state estimation. Finally, we discuss the challenges associated with using ML methods for state estimation and outline future development trends.

Conventional soliton and noise-like pulse emissions at 1.98μm utilizing tungsten trioxide as mode-locker

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate the dual pulse emissions of conventional soliton (CS) and noise-like pulse (NLP) in thulium-holmium co-doped fiber laser using tungsten trioxide saturable absorber (WO3-SA). The CS pulse delivered 2[Formula: see text]ps width, centered at 1982.8[Formula: see text]nm. Increasing the pump power and alteration of polarization states switched the CS to the NLP regime with 1990.0[Formula: see text]nm central wavelength, 17.2[Formula: see text]nm spectral bandwidth, and 396[Formula: see text]fs spike width riding on top of a wide picosecond pulse pedestal in the time domain. This work suggests the capability of WO3-SA as a pulse initiator for future dual-source ultrashort pulses based on an all-fiber laser cavity design.

A multi-task learning based line parameter identification method for medium-voltage distribution network

Accurate line parameters are critical for and dispatch in distribution systems. External operating condition variations affect line parameters, reducing the accuracy of state estimation and power flow calculations. While many methods have been proposed and obtained results rather acceptable, there is room for improvement as they don’t fully consider line connections in known topologies. Furthermore, inaccuracies in measurement devices and data acquisition systems can introduce noise and outliers, impacting the reliability of parameter identification. To address these challenges, we propose a line parameter identification method based on Graph Attention Networks and Multi-gate Mixture-of-Experts. The topological structure of the power grid and the capabilities of modern data acquisition equipment are utilized to capture. We also introduce a multi-task learning framework to enable joint training of parameter identification across different branches, thereby enhancing computational efficiency and accuracy. Experiments show that the GAT-MMoE model outperforms traditional methods, with notable improvements in both accuracy and robustness.

The Giant Leap in the Development of Higher Engineering Education in China

Purpose This study discusses the development of higher engineering education and its future direction following the increased enrollment in higher education institutions in China. Design/Approach/Methods By compiling and analyzing corresponding policies and historical and statistical data, the large-scale expansion process and quality enhancement pathways of China's higher engineering education are summarized. Additionally, probable future development scenarios are identified based on the current situation. Findings Ever since the expansion of higher education enrollment in China, higher engineering education has experienced rapid expansion in scale and quality, leading China toward becoming a prolific global leader in this aspect. Through a series of national engineering educational reforms, such as “Engineering Program Accreditation,” “Outstanding Engineer Plan,” and “New Engineering Construction,” China has sought to improve the quality of engineering talent to “transition from a large state to a powerful state” in higher engineering education. Therefore, this development process can be considered a “golden age” of higher engineering education development in China. Going forward, China's higher engineering education should focus on continuous quality improvement, strengthen international exchanges and collaboration, and expansion into new engineering fields. Originality/Value This study systematically analyzes the large-scale expansion and quality enhancement routes of China's higher engineering education. By enhancing the understanding of such education, this study can serve as a reference for domestic and foreign engineering education researchers.

Deep analysis of power regulation on fatigue loads and platform motion in floating wind turbines

The fatigue loads experienced by components and the motion of the platform in floating wind turbines are likely influenced by their operation within a limited power state; however, the corresponding effects remain inadequately understood. This study investigates a 5 MW semi-submersible floating wind turbine, aiming to provide a comprehensive analysis of fatigue loads on critical components and platform motion under various power regulation modes. To achieve this objective, we employed the NREL 5 MW semi-submersible wind turbine model, generated three-dimensional wind fields using TurbSim, and conducted dynamic simulations with OpenFAST, utilizing MLife software for post-processing of fatigue load analysis. We assessed the fatigue loads of four key components—the blade root, tower base, drivetrain, and mooring cables—alongside the platform motion under varying generator speeds, yaw angles, and active power levels. Additionally, correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationship between component fatigue loads and platform motion under different yaw conditions. The results demonstrate that both generator speed and yaw angle significantly influence fatigue loads and platform motion, while the effect of active power appears to be relatively minor. Specifically, an increase in generator speed markedly elevates fatigue loads on the blade root and drivetrain, while concurrently reducing loads on the tower base and certain mooring lines. The analysis further reveals that, under various yaw angles, the fatigue loads on symmetrically positioned mooring cables exhibit a symmetric response, impacting fatigue damage in the blade root and tower base moments. Moreover, the relationship between maximum horizontal platform displacement and fatigue loads varies. The findings of this study provide critical insights into the operational optimization of floating wind turbines.

Design optimization of floating offshore wind farms using a steady state movement and flow model

Abstract In this study, we demonstrate how to carry out the design optimization of floating offshore wind farms by considering the impacts brought by the movements of the floating wind turbines. A steady state movement and flow model is applied in the modelling process. This model is developed by building a turbine surrogate model for estimating the steady state movement and power production of floating wind turbines and incorporating it in an open-source static wind farm simulator, PyWake. Using this modelling methodology, layout optimization problems of floating offshore wind farms are solved by using algorithms like Random Search to maximize the energy yield while satisfying certain constraints. Case studies are carried out for two wind farms with met-ocean conditions from a real planned site in Scottland to show the potential of layout optimization for floating wind farms.

Displacing the Constitution: Modernity, Sovereignty and Crisis in Interwar Romania

Abstract By a legal historical analysis of the context of the interwar period, it seeks to uncover the ideological infrastructure subjacent to the constitutional project of the interwar period, placing Romanian constitutional thought and practice in a proper international context. By tracing the changes within the practice of emergency and the shifting status of sovereign power within the years following the institution of the Constitution of 1923, it moves towards examining the affirmation of authoritarian features of unbound state power in the Constitution of 1938, the first dictatorial constitution in Romanian modernity.

State power, Global Production Networks, and underdevelopment: examining South Carolina’s success in fostering strategic coupling

Abstract Under the notion of strategic coupling, GPN scholarship acknowledges the pivotal role of firms and non-firm actors in integrating regions into value chains and in regional development. However, the GPN 2.0 approach has focused largely on firms with limited attention to state managers’ practices in coupling creation. This paper addresses this gap by engaging with Jessop’s strategic-relational approach, Fred Block, and uneven and combined development theory to examine state managers’ action in coupling creation. Examining South Carolina as a case study, the paper argues that its success in attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs) stems from the interplay of state power, a manufacturing fraction of capital, and underdevelopment. South Carolina leverages its underdevelopment to create policies that attract FDIs and promote strategic coupling. Three key dimensions of state action are identified: fluidity and flexibility, commitment to right-to-work status, and alignment of the education system with corporate interests. This research is based on qualitative methods. Thirty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted in South Carolina.

Decarbonization and the Capitalist State

ABSTRACTDecarbonization is the most important challenge of our time. Though quite modest, states are taking more climate action. How should we approach these efforts? Sociologists have paid less attention to decarbonization overall but frameworks in political sociology can make sense of state power and climate politics. In this review, I first discuss two sets of literature. The first extends “state‐capacity” and institutionalist frameworks. The second is based on radical and Marxist state theories. Following this, I draw from Mann's concept of “infrastructural power” which combines elements of both and can situate state power in a transnational context. Using this concept and recent literature in political economy, I discuss three infrastructures—finance, trade, and energy—and consequential ways states have altered them in recent years. These actions reveal profound geoeconomic contradictions which will undermine decarbonization. Together, this review provides a wide survey of state theories and macroscopic climate politics with the hope of spurring further discussion and debate.

Protecting jobs and lives: Teachers’ passive resistance and subtle protest to curriculum policy in Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe

Most studies on teacher resistance to curriculum policy and reform implementation focus on teacher activism and visible acts of resistance. But there is growing interest in teachers’ passive resistance and covert protest in the face of intimidating state power. This paper theorises subtleties of teacher protest in three Southern African states – Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In these countries, teacher strikes, class boycotts and sit-ins have received heavy handed reaction from the government, resulting in psychological intimidation, physical assaults and incarceration. The key question driving this paper, therefore, is: Faced with shrinking democratic space, how are teachers in Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe recalibrating protest strategies? This paper argues that state repression pushes teachers to retreat from active protest and resort to subtle protest, to protect their jobs and lives. The unique contributions of this paper are that it borrows James Scott’s typology of ‘everyday invisible acts of resistance’, developed from an anthropological study of peasants struggle in a Malay village, to theorise teacher resistance in pseudo-democratic spaces. It also generates novel insights on how teachers continue to resist curriculum policy while sending false signals of compliance to repressive state power.

Azərbaycan Respublikasinda 2012-2023-cü illərdə törədilmiş dövlət hakimiyyəti əleyhinə olan cinayətlərin kriminoloji tədqiqinin aktual problemləri

In the article, the dinamics of the indicators related to the crimes against the state power in the structure of crimes commited during the period 2012-2023, which increased even more than in the previous 10 years, are interpreted. At the same time, the general and specific factors which have impact on the situation and level of the crimes of resisting or using force against the representative of the government are analyzed. The author notes that from the criminological point of view, negative, antisocial tendencies do not appear by themselves and they have social roots in origin, they are formed in the process of communication of the individual with the surrounding macro and micro environment. The article suggests the need to take the following measures as special measures to warn of the crimes of resisting or using force against the representative of the authorities - constantly raising the level of professionalism of the representatives of the authorities, strengthening their habits of acting decisively within the law in extreme situations, strengthening and expanding relations with the mass media, using their opportunities to increase the reputation of the authorities in the eyes of the population, improving the criminal legislation. Keywords: authority, representative of authority, crime, criminology, resistance, use of force, criminal, legislation, normative act, national legislation.

Историческая социология сельско-городского развития Дж. К. Скотта: против упрощений

This article is a critical analysis of the historical and sociological works of the American political anthropologist J. S. Scott (1936–2024). His works were largely related to the study of the contradictions of social development between the city and the village. This topic is presented especially deeply and comprehensively in Scott's monographs of his late intellectual period: ‘From the Point of View of the State’ (1998), ‘The Art of Being Ungovernable’ (2006), and ‘Against the Grain’ (2016). In these works, Scott analyzed—practically in retrospective order—several key rural-urban contradictions and paradoxes of social development from the era of high modernism of the 19th–20th centuries to the era of the emergence of the first city-states in the 6th millennium BC. Scott based his analysis on extensive regional comparative studies and interdisciplinary research at the intersection of history, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, ecology, and political science. The problem of the formation, development, and expansion of state power in matters of regulating relations between city and countryside are core themes of these works. On the other hand—in matters of state-controlled relations between city and countryside—Scott highlights the influence of a third force, a third party: the so-called stateless, unsettled barbarism and anarchy that wedges itself into the regulation of rural-urban contradictions.