Political Structures Research Articles

Consider the Base for Representation at the Top: Political Parties and Women’s Parliamentary Representation in Ghana’s Fourth Republic

Abstract: In a democracy, political parties play significant roles in candidate recruitment and selection. While several activities of political parties focusing on boosting women’s representation in Ghana’s Fourth Republic have been examined in the literature, this study expands that discussion. It notes that political parties have pursued various strategies to increase women’s political representation; however, after three decades of Ghana’s Fourth Republic, parliamentary seats occupied by women fall short of the minimum 30 percent level suggested by the UN Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15. This suggests that perhaps Ghana is not doing enough. Using a qualitative research approach, this study argues that political parties must pursue women’s recruitment with greater proactiveness from the basic unit of their political structure, the polling station or branch executives’ level. This could encourage more female participation and influence the outcome of primary elections.

The Dynamics Of Sociopolitical Polarization: In-Depth Analysis Of Causes, Consequences, And Mitigation Strategies

Sociopolitical polarization is a global phenomenon that affects the stability and cohesion of society, exacerbated by economic inequality, the role of the media, social identity, and the dynamics of international politics. Its impact on democracy, security, public policy, and economic growth creates an urgent need for deeper understanding and effective mitigation strategies. This research aims to analyze the causes, and consequences, and identify mitigation strategies for Sociopolitical polarization. The research was carried out using a descriptive qualitative approach, relying on data from relevant previous studies to process and analyze the phenomenon comprehensively. The results of the research show that Sociopolitical polarization is caused by various interrelated factors and has a broad impact on the social and political structure of society. Effective mitigation strategies include education and media literacy, dialogue and reconciliation, changes in political policies and practices, and regulation of technology and media. However, significant challenges such as resistance to change, the complexity of social identities, and global dynamics require a holistic and sustainable approach. Building consensus in a polarized society and creating a more integrated society is key to overcoming polarization. This research offers valuable insights for stakeholders in designing more effective strategies for reducing Sociopolitical polarization.

Practitioners' ability to retool the economy: The role of agency in local economic resilience to plant closures in Ontario

AbstractEconomic resilience focuses on how localities react and respond to shocks. A recent conceptual advancement, known as the agency perspective and rooted in evolutionary thinking, highlights that economic actors (e.g., practitioners, firms, and institutions) play an essential role in localities' resilience. However, empirical investigations into the role of economic actors have been scarce. To address this shortcoming, in this study we conducted in‐depth interviews with 22 practitioners (economic development officials) from various cities in Ontario, Canada. Through an evolutionary lens, we examine practitioners' perceptions of and responses to endogenous shocks—notably, major industrial plant closures over the past 20 years. We find that practitioners influence localities' resilience through each dimension of the resilience process. Most notably, they support their localities' adaption through various short‐ and long‐term adaptive strategies. Also, we find that economic actors have different capacities and resources at their disposal to respond to shocks depending on the size of their city and its geographical location. Regarding the latter, we reiterate a commonly noted north‐south divide in the province. In addition, we find that economic actors are constrained by multi‐scalar policies, and thus operate in the confines of existing power and political structures.

IMPACT OF RUSSIA’S ELITES ON THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

This article examines the issue of the relationship between the elites of Russia, as well as their possible influence on the course of the election campaign for the election of the President of the Russian Federation. The work analyzes the varying degrees of influence on the formation of approaches in the process of transformation of the Russian political system. The purpose of preparing a scientific article is to study the problems of the influence of significant elite groups on pre-election scenarios, with an assessment of the position of competing political structures during the federal election campaign. In addition, there is speculation about possible steps they will take to acquire more influential positions in the next six months, when preliminary nominations of candidates take place and the prospects for election “battles” are outlined. The conclusions underlying this work make it possible to determine the current state of the elites in their competition in the field of political influence on candidates in the presidential “race”.

One or Three Countries? On Continuity and Gaps in Russian History

In the present essay the author refl ects on whether their exists the continuity among pre-revolutionary Russian Empire, the USSR and today’s Russian Federation. It constitutes a polemical response to the recently expressed radical opinion that we are dealing with three different countries here, and the idea of one country, Russia, and the “mirages of succession” serve only to justify “aggression in the Ukraine”. It is stated that despite the regime's change of political structure and even types of state, the country remains the same. The complexity of the Soviet phenomenon is proved as complex and internally containing contradictory phenomena and trends. The part of the Soviet contained traditional and Christian values, even in a transformed form, should be close and valuable to modern Russian conservatives

From fan citizenship to ‘fanspiracies’: Politics and participatory cultures in times of crisis?

Fan practices and behaviours have increasingly moved beyond fan communities into the political, economic and cultural structures of every day life. The proliferation of social media platforms has allowed both the progressive and reactionary aspects of fandom to converge in the public sphere, drawing on similar techniques, pleasures, and practices in order to interpret the world in a culture where the boundaries between popular and political communication are blurrier than they have ever been. This special issue of Convergence explores the synergies, tensions and conflicts at play in this new cultural terrain. It explores how ‘fan studies can be used to make sense of the seeming growth of conspiracy theory communities and right-wing movements, examines political participation as a form of fandom, and the ways in which social media can be used to organize against discriminatory cultures.

‘What was moderate about the enlightenment?’ Moderation in eighteenth-century Europe

ABSTRACT : What does it mean to refer to the enlightenment as ‘moderate’? One answer to this question, and the one which abounds in historiography of enlightenment in the past two decades, is that of Jonathan Israel. For Israel, the ‘moderate enlightenment’ is the half-baked counterpart to the ‘Radical Enlightenment’. Where the Radical Enlightenment, in Israel’s version of events, was the crucible within which progressive modernity was forged, the ‘moderate enlightenment’ was the regressive vehicle for accommodating elements of this agenda within the social, political and intellectual structures of the ancien regime. This essay, and the special issue it introduces, seeks alternative ways to understand the prospect of a moderate enlightenment by inviting reflection on currents of moderation in eighteenth-century Europe. Turning the tables on moderate enlightenment, and framing it as an episode in a history of moderation, it proposes a range of lenses onto the intellectual culture of eighteenth-century Europe.

The making of the Philippines as a Neoliberal Nation-State: Dissecting the global-local nexus and their implications for social change

AbstractThe neoliberal globalization project of expanding and maintaining capitalism globally requires the shaping of neoliberal nation-states that will entrench its ideology, political structures, and practices. In that sense, the neoliberal nation-state provides an appropriate conceptual site for investigating the local-global nexus in the dynamics of global capitalism. Using the Philippines as an example, this paper investigates the various factors or dimensions in the making of the Philippines as a neoliberal nation-state from the colonial era to the supranational structures that exert external control on the Philippine political economy: the global power of transnational corporations, the IMF, American and Chinese imperialism, including the American military aid that supports militarization and counter-insurgency against movements that challenge the neoliberal agenda of the past and current regimes. In addition, this paper offers implications for policy changes and strategies for global resistance that anti-globalization movements can consider.

Revisiting Punjab’s Transformative Journey, 1947-1966: An Appraisal

"Punjab, often referred to as the 'Land of five rivers,' has been a significant player in shaping India's historical narrative, leaving an enduring mark on its trajectory. This imprint stems from the courageous and patriotic endeavours of the people of Punjab, who have etched out a distinctive place for themselves. A comprehensive study of its people becomes imperative to comprehend the nuanced dynamics of Punjab's history. This involves delving into their historical, cultural, and religious roots and understanding their political legacy. The year 1947 marked India's liberation from British rule, coinciding with a partition based on the two-nation theory. Punjab bore a heavy toll during this partition, experiencing substantial human and territorial losses. The partition's catastrophic aftermath overshadowed the jubilation of independence for Punjab. Post-partition, Punjab portrayed a sombre and bleak landscape, with the migration of refugees significantly altering the communal composition of the region. This migration upheaved the administrative, economic, and political structures, introducing many complex challenges. The division of Punjab along communal lines generated a palpable sense of indignation and frustration among the Sikh community. The expectations of establishing a Sikh State in independent India, fervently supported by Sikh, Congress, and Hindu leaders, remained unfulfilled. Perceiving an unequal distribution of territory between Hindus and Muslims, the Sikhs advocated for a Punjabi Suba. In their pursuit of this objective, the Akali Dal employed diverse strategies. This culminated in the reorganisation of Punjab on March 21, 1966, leading to its further trifurcation."

Cyber-Politics: Social Media's Influence on Political Mobilization

Commencing with the recognition of social media's profound impact on political mobilisation, this research seeks to conduct an in-depth investigation into the intricate relationship between social media and political engagement, acknowledging the significant influence of digital platforms on civic participation. Employing a methodologically rigorous mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative content analysis and secondary data for quantitative analysis, the study systematically examines the nuanced dynamics of political discourse, information dissemination, and network structures within major social media domains. Guided by Social Movement Theory, the theoretical framework illuminates the instrumental role played by online communities and influencers in shaping contemporary political movements. Preliminary findings emphasize the pivotal contribution of social media to information dissemination, community-building endeavours, and activist initiatives. However, the research also identifies challenges related to misinformation and polarization, highlighting the need for a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted relationship between social media and political engagement. Aligned with a referenced study, this research enhances understanding of the influence exerted by digital spaces on civic engagement, providing a holistic examination of policy discourse, information distribution, and network structures across major social media channels. Establishing a foundation for future research, the study offers pragmatic insights to policymakers, facilitating the discerning utilization of social media platforms for constructive mobilization while mitigating deleterious consequences in the contemporary digital milieu.

George Orwell and Totalitarianism: A Master of Political and Social Commentary

This analysis delves into George Orwell's legacy as a British writer and journalist, focusing on his incisive scrutiny and critique of political and social structures, with a specific emphasis on totalitarianism. Through a comprehensive examination of Orwell's seminal works, "Animal Farm" and "1984," the study aims to reveal the enduring relevance of his critiques by contextualizing them within the socio-political landscape of his era and drawing connections to contemporary issues of government power, surveillance, and individual liberties. Employing a multifaceted methodology encompassing literary analysis, biographical exploration, historical contextualization, comparative analysis, and the incorporation of scholarly perspectives, the research provides a nuanced understanding of Orwell's contributions, emphasizing his impact on literature, political thought, and the ongoing discourse surrounding the perils of unchecked authority. In conclusion, Orwell's enduring legacy emerges as a critical observer and commentator, whose works remain powerful reflections on totalitarianism, surveillance, and the fragility of individual freedoms, resonating globally as relevant and cautionary narratives.

Pathways to Authoritarian Adaptation: How State–Society Interactions Push the Window of Policy Change in China

Under what conditions might authoritarian states adapt public policies to social preferences? How could social actors push the window for policy change? How might state–society interactions induce policy change as the practice of authoritarian adaptation? This article utilizes a new database of case evidence and the qualitative comparative analysis method to explore the relationship between state–society interaction and policy change as the practical manifestation of authoritarian adaptation in China. The study presents three approaches to policy change: state–society interactive strategies, policy entrepreneurs and the political opportunity structure. The empirical results reveal three patterns of state–society interaction leading to policy change, while submission is not a viable option for society under state suppression. Media presence may impede policy change, and the diverse functions of social organizations should be related to interactive strategies. In addition, social actors may identify political opportunities through multiround interaction, while the role of joint administration in effecting policy change remains unclear. This study offers a novel understanding of authoritarian adaptation.

Intra-mediary expertise: Trans-science and expert understanding of the public.

What is the role of experts and their expertise in the context of trans-science, in which issues that are raised in scientific terms cannot be answered by science alone? This article examines the discourses and practices around safety of low-dose exposure to radiation in the ongoing aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in Japan in 2011. Following the nuclear fallout, scientific experts and STS scholars in Japan debated what forms of science communication were adequate to address the situation. Ethnographic research and textual analysis of their debates show a shift in emphasis on the role of experts from cultivating 'public understanding of science' for the sake of science and policy to an 'expert understanding of the public' for the sake of the public and its diverse everyday concerns. Two forms of expertise are emerging: 'co-expertise' and 'intra-mediary expertise'. Both are parts of a transition from a paternalistic form of expertise to one that acknowledges the need to engage the public to address issues of scientific uncertainty. However, co-expertise ultimately upholds the existing political structures that shape risk governance, while intra-mediary expertise engages those often excluded from current structures of accountability. Discussion of the potentials and limitations of emerging forms of expertise in Japan show that epistemic justice is not enough. Civic justice that acknowledges diverse publics and their needs must be upheld in the uncertain sphere between science, politics, and everyday life.

Migrants’ Political Participation and Representation in Poland: What Do Political Parties Have to Offer?

Since 2018, Poland has been a net migration country, yet public debates on migrants and migration remain scarce and have been defined by a reactionary nature. This article, adopting a political opportunity structure perspective, focuses on political parties as the main actors shaping opportunities and constraints for migrant political participation and representation in Polish society. Based on a qualitative content analysis of party manifestos and parliamentary debates, and using the deductive thematic analysis framework, this study analysed three types of arguments parties have adopted regarding the admission of migrants. The findings revealed that Polish political parties, failing to see non-voting migrants as promising electoral targets, have weaponised the migrant issue and used it as an element of the partisan battle to attack opponents, especially during the election campaign period, instead of stimulating migrants’ political participation and offering them channels for representation.

Why Latin American Parties Are Not Coming Back

ABSTRACT This essay documents growing partisan social uprootedness across Latin America over time, manifested in diminishing social trust toward parties, debilitation of links between parties and social collectivities, lowering levels of partisanship, and rising incidence of personalism in the electorate. It focuses on some unrecognized and undertheorized causal factors behind partisan involution in the region, putting emphasis on mutually reinforcing processes. First, it identifies forces endogenous to the traits of origin of diminished parties that foster their uprootedness and decay; second, it lays out some of the manifold ways that the weakening of political parties fuels regime malperformance, in a mutually reinforcing vicious circle; third, it outlines the existence of mutual feedback loops between political agency and structure; fourth, it identifies various agential sources of party decay. There are strong theoretical and empirical reasons to expect continued party deinstitutionalization across Latin America going forward.

A Legal Approach on India’s National Emergency Provision

In India, a state of emergency pertains to a period of governance that the President of India can proclaim during a specific crisis. The President has the authority to revoke several articles of the Indian Constitution that protect citizens’ fundamental rights on the advice of the Cabinet. Articles 352 through 360 of Part XVIII of the Indian Constitution comprises emergency provisions. The provisions allow the Centre to deal with any extraordinary event effectively. The rationale behind its incorporation is to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, unity, integrity, security, democratic, political structure, and constitution. The Central Government will be in absolute power during the emergency, and the States will be under federal control. One of the main features of the Indian Constitution is how the ordinary federal constitution is adapted to emergencies. To the Constitution’s credit, it visualized a situation in which the rigid application of federal principles could destroy the fundamental premises on which it was built. The Indian Constitution is a way of adapting the normal Federal Constitution to emergencies. To the Constitution’s credit, it visualized a situation in which the concrete application of federal rules could destroy the fundamental assumptions upon which it is set. When India declares a state of emergency, the country’s federal system is transformed into a unified one, with all powers with the Central Government.

A cleavage-based conceptualisation of politicised global integration

ABSTRACT How can we conceptualise politicised integration at the global level? Functionalism and neo-functionalism are de-politicised, technocratic theories of integration dispensing with ideology and contestation, while post-functionalist approaches address politicisation but not supra-national integration. Drawing on comparative macro-historical theories, this article suggests a conceptualisation of politicised integration that extends exit–voice and political structuring models used at national and European levels to global integration. The replacement of territorial divisions with cleavages cutting across world regions – core–periphery and North–South divisions, civilisations and ‘multiple modernities’ – creates the conditions for cross-territorial dimensions of contestation, along which cross-regional membership groups link, coordinate and form bonds of solidarity. The de-territorialisation of global cleavages and the regional convergence it brings about, provide the social bases for mass politics rather than elitist policy integration. The conceptualisation of integration is political rather than technocratic, and one in which collective decision making is a matter of pluralist contestation rather than problem-solving expertise.

Emotions in Politics: A Review of Contemporary Perspectives and Trends

This article explores the dynamics of emotions in politics, and their relationship with political structures, discourses, and contestations. Grounded in an interdisciplinary approach, this review article synthesizes diverse perspectives on the role of emotions in political interactions, emphasizing their impact on individual and collective emotions. It explores five themes, beginning with the top-down construction of emotions by states, and extending to the global politics of emotions within geopolitical frameworks to understand everyday emotional practices. By addressing the discursive dimensions of emotions in politics, this article contributes to the evolving field of research on the connection between emotions and the construction of political knowledge.

Sino-Russian cooperation under US and European sanctions: Chinese car brands flood into the Russian market

This article uses a realist theoretical framework to thoroughly investigate the motives, processes, and multifaceted impacts of Chinese automobile brands entering the Russian market. The research findings reveal that the transnational market strategy of Chinese brands is based not only on the pursuit of national interests and economic independence but also on a flexible response to changes in the international political and economic structure. Amid the economic sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia, a power vacuum has emerged in the Russian automotive market. Chinese automobile brands accurately identified and swiftly seized this opportunity, successfully entering and expanding their market share in Russia. This move has not only increased China’s influence in the global automotive industry but also further strengthened the strategic partnership between China and Russia. From a geopolitical perspective, this economic activity has also bolstered political and economic cooperation between China and Russia to resist the pressure from Western governments. This study enriches the application of realism theory in the field of international political economy and provides new perspectives and insights into understanding the motives and strategic choices of national behavior in a complex and changing international environment. By examining the case of Chinese automobile brands in Russia, this research contributes to the broader discourse on the strategic interactions between major global powers and their implications for the international political and economic order. The analysis highlights the importance of adaptive market strategies in achieving national objectives and underscores the interplay between economic strategies and geopolitical dynamics. The insights from this study are valuable for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners interested in international trade, political economy, and strategic studies, offering lessons for navigating the complexities of global market dynamics and international relations.

Revisiting the Formation and Radicalisation of Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) through Social Movement Theory

This paper uses social movement theory to examine the rise and development of Boko Haram and AQIM into radical groups. Boko Haram and AQIM were initially established as moderate and conservative Islamist groups in Nigeria and Algeria respectively. AQIM was originally a political party – the FIS but changed names to the GIA, the GSPC, and AQIM each with a different modus operandi. Boko Haram was a local organization that has been espousing an anti-system frame alongside violent tactics since 2009. Relying on secondary data, this paper found that the emergence and eventual transformation of Boko Haram and AQIM into radical movements signify the existence of social movement factors of political opportunity structures, mobilizing structures, and framing processes in Nigeria and Algeria. Results from content analysis of the data show that while the two movements emerged in two distinct socio-economic and political environments, they were rational actors who continued to utilize the available political structures opportunity, mobilizing structures and framing processes to mobilize and sustain collective actions. It is evident that government repression only made the two groups change tactics and strategies when what they regarded as free spaces diminished at times they gathered material and non-material resources. That coincided with the radical views of some of the groups’ members, the presence of mobilizing structures, and a frame resonance that ensured recruitment into the two movements.