Theoretical Arguments Research Articles

En una palabra. <i>Entrevista</i>. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak con Ellen Rooney

In this interview, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak revisits the debate between essentialism and anti-essentialism by reconsidering various theoretical frameworks she has engaged with over her intellectual journey. These frameworks include deconstruction, Marxism, and feminisms, alongside reflections on the role of philosophy. One key focus of her reflection is the concept of strategic essentialism in understanding social movements, diverging from her previous stances. Spivak suggests viewing it as an ongoing critique of essentialist approaches, emphasizing the importance of maintaining critical, strategic, and indispensable elements within a minimalizable essence. She also stresses the significance of authorial positioning and autobiographical narratives, drawing on childhood lessons. She explores teaching as a practice that can convey the impossibility of fixed essences rather than engaging in theoretical debates. She examines her own place within the Subaltern Studies Group and the political connotations of the “Third World.” Towards the end, she delves into the practical perspective on essences concerning empirical realities and the dynamic between researchers and their audiences.

Signaling to creditors and voters: the determinants of national fiscal rules

Fiscal rules are spreading fast among countries. However, why and when governments enact fiscal rules and strengthen their national fiscal legal frameworks are less well understood. This article argues that governments use fiscal rules to signal commitment to fiscal prudence to both creditors and national voters. It investigates this theoretical argument empirically by using a worldwide panel of countries from 1985 to 2015. The empirical analyses find robust evidence that fiscal rules enactment becomes more likely, and that fiscal rules stringency increases when government debt is high and in election years but less evidence that being under an IMF program increases the strength of fiscal rules.

To beckon or not to beckon: Testing a causal-evaluative modelling approach to moral judgment: A registered report

Moral judgments are increasingly being understood as showing context dependent variability. A growing literature has identified a range of specific contextual factors (e.g., emotions, intentions) that can influence moral judgments in predictable ways. Integrating these diverse influences into a unified approach to understanding moral judgments remains a challenge. Recent work by Railton (2017) attempted to address this with a causal-evaluative modelling approach to moral judgment. In support of this model Railton presents evidence from novel variations of classic trolley type dilemmas. We present results from a pre-registered pilot study that highlight a significant confound and demonstrate that it likely influenced Railton's results. Building on this, our registered report presents a replication-extension of Railton's study, using larger more diverse samples, and more rigorous methods and materials, specifically controlling for potential confounds. We found that participants' judgments in sacrificial dilemmas are influenced by both direct personal force, and by whether harm occurs as a means or as a side-effect of action. We also show the relationship between a range of individual difference variables and responses to sacrificial moral dilemmas. Our results provide novel insights into the factors that influence people's moral judgments, and contribute to ongoing theoretical debates in moral psychology.

The standard form under pressure? On the ecological reconfiguration of product presentation using the example of consumables

Abstract This article provides a framework for analyzing valorizations and justifications for ecologically sustainable everyday products. By drawing on theoretical arguments from the French neo pragmatist approach of economics of conventions, especially the idea of enrichment, we develop a typology of valorizations that distinguishes between analytic and narrative presentations. A qualitative empirical analysis of green alternatives to standard consumables, such as coffee, textiles or hygiene products, is used to help explain the strategies by which sustainable products are placed and marketed. We state that sustainable product presentations use a range of established forms of valorization that also affects the justification of their often-higher prices. We conclude that the standard form of consumables comes under pressure while capitalist actors appear to incorporate the growing ecologic critique with a set of ecologic enrichments.

Une goutte d’eau, une goutte d’étoiles. Microcinématographie et avant-garde dans les années 1920

A long-standing link exists between avant-garde and scientific cinema. In the 1920s, in fact, the former contributed to the construction of the latter: on the one hand, by its systematic inclusion in film clubs’ and film societies’ screening programs; on the other hand, by catalyzing the theoretical debate on the medium specificity because of the specific techniques it develops. Through the texts by philosophers, film makers and theorists of the time (Walter Benjamin, Germaine Dulac, Jean Epstein, Émile Vuillermoz, László Moholy-Nagy among others), this essay examines the role of microscope films in the construction of 1920s film theory, discussing several tropes and key concepts such as pure cinema, cinégraphie integrale, rhythm theory and optical “unconscious”.

The Populist Name Game: About Populism and Naming

For populist leaders, naming is an important political tool, helping them to consolidate their leadership while harming the legitimacy of their opponents. The article offers a theoretical framework explaining populist tactical uses of naming; how they name and misname their opponents. The explanation locates the naming tactics within the overall populist framework as a thin-centered ideology. The following three naming tactics are described and analyzed: (1) coining ridiculing nicknames, (2) appropriating existing nicknames, and (3) avoiding the opponent’s name. To substantiate the theoretical arguments, we discursively analyze these three tactics, as were employed by the former US president, Donald Trump, the prime minister of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu, and the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

No clear evidence of a difference between individuals who self-report an absence of auditory imagery and typical imagers on auditory imagery tasks.

Aphantasia is characterised by the inability to create mental images in one's mind. Studies investigating impairments in imagery typically focus on the visual domain. However, it is possible to generate many different forms of imagery including imagined auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, motor, taste and other experiences. Recent studies show that individuals with aphantasia report a lack of imagery in modalities, other than vision, including audition. However, to date, no research has examined whether these reductions in self-reported auditory imagery are associated with decrements in tasks that require auditory imagery. Understanding the extent to which visual and auditory imagery deficits co-occur can help to better characterise the core deficits of aphantasia and provide an alternative perspective on theoretical debates on the extent to which imagery draws on modality-specific or modality-general processes. In the current study, individuals that self-identified as being aphantasic and matched control participants with typical imagery performed two tasks: a musical pitch-based imagery and voice-based categorisation task. The majority of participants with aphantasia self-reported significant deficits in both auditory and visual imagery. However, we did not find a concomitant decrease in performance on tasks which require auditory imagery, either in the full sample or only when considering those participants that reported significant deficits in both domains. These findings are discussed in relation to the mechanisms that might obscure observation of imagery deficits in auditory imagery tasks in people that report reduced auditory imagery.

Interrelation of conceptual abilities and Self-concept in adolescence

This article provides a theoretical analysis of the psychological constructs of "conceptual abilities" and "self-concept" and examines the theoretical justification for the connection between conceptual abilities, as manifestations of conceptual thinking, and the formation of personality and its self-concept in adolescence. Theoretical arguments are presented in favor of this connection: during the formation of conceptual thinking and conceptual abilities, the intellectualization of all functions and developing qualities of adolescents occurs; new formations such as objectification and decentering are developed; the ability to abstract increases, which determines the differentiation of personal qualities and self-representations and their integration at a higher level, a radical restructuring of personality takes place, the formation of moral consciousness, including relationships with others, and the adaptive properties of personality increase, influencing its social behavior. The article shows the prospects of research due to verify the alleged relationship and clarify its nature by mathematical methods (correlation, regression, factor analysis).

The Local Memory of Repression, and Who Fights

abstract: How does the local memory of past repression affect whether individuals fight for or rebel against the government perpetrator? The authors theorize how information about past repression is transmitted across generations to shape long-run patterns of loyalty and rebellion toward the state. To assess this argument, they study how the legacies of the 1845–49 Irish Potato Famine affected the decisions of subsequent generations of Irishmen to fight for or against Britain. Leveraging data on more than 150,000 Irish combatants, the authors show that individuals in places more severely affected by the Famine fought in the pro-British Irish Militia and the British military in World War I at lower rates. By contrast, those individuals rebelled against Britain at higher rates. Additional quantitative analysis provides evidence consistent with the theoretical argument: constituencies more severely affected by the Famine were more likely to vote for the pro-Irish, anti-British Sinn Féin Party. This article demonstrates how the local memory of past repression can play a crucial role in shaping long-run patterns of participation in conflict.

Introduction to the Triple Special Issue “The Emotional Side of Populist Support: Key Affective Mechanisms at Test”

Although research on populism has gained traction as an established field of inquiry, its affective underpinnings remain a puzzle. A relatively underexplored area of study, now garnering attention, is the intricate relationship between populism and emotions. This Triple Special Issue focuses on the demand side of populist politics, delving into populist attitudes and the role emotions play in their activation. Articles in this collection address three overarching research questions, which we explore in this Introduction: What are the primary emotional drivers of populist attitudes? Which emotions are evoked in audiences by populist communication and framing? What is the significance of exploring complex emotions and moving beyond “thin ideology” in the study of emotions and populism? In this Introduction, we assess the current state of the art and highlight the contributions of our collection to ongoing theoretical and empirical debates.

Academic autonomy as driving change: Investigating its effect on strategy development and university performance

There has been an ongoing theoretical argument on the role of Academic autonomy (AA) in improving the ability of public universities to develop strategies and enhance their performance. This study aims to investigate whether AA impacts strategy development (SD) and University performance (UP). Moreover, it investigates the effect of SD on UP. The present study uses a resource-based view to demonstrate the links among constructs. This study employed a survey method, and data were collected from 130 leaders of Indian public universities utilising a non-probability purposive sampling technique. Data was analysed using Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that AA positively and significantly affects SD. Moreover, the results demonstrated that AA directly affects both UP's dimensions: research and teaching performance. The results also showed that SD directly and positively affects both UP's dimensions, research, and teaching performance. In line with these findings, several implications for theory and practices are addressed for university management.

Standing with Ukraine? How citizens trade off self-interest and principles in supporting war-torn international partners

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an attack on democracy, human rights, and the international order. While European democracies have supported their war-torn partner, Russia has sought to undermine public support by stopping its gas supply and imposing economic costs on European citizens. In consequence, Europeans find themselves caught between economic self-interest and principles. We present a theoretical argument and test how corresponding arguments for and against continued backing of Ukraine affect citizens’ support using experimental and observational data collected while concerns with gas shortage and inflation mounted in Germany and Denmark. We find that support for Ukraine does not falter due to economic concerns. In contrast, citizens become more supportive when presented with arguments related to human rights, democracy, and respect for territorial boundaries. We discuss implications for understanding citizens’ responses to autocratic power strategies and how support likely depends on the type of partner and domestic elite rhetoric.

Gas Seepage and Pockmark Formation From Subsurface Reservoirs: Insights From Table‐Top Experiments

AbstractPockmarks are morphological depressions commonly observed in ocean and lake floors. Pockmarks form by fluid (typically gas) seepage thorough a sealing sedimentary layer, deforming and breaching the layer. The seepage‐induced sediment deformation mechanisms, and their links to the resulting pockmarks morphology, are not well understood. To bridge this gap, we conduct laboratory experiments in which gas seeps through a granular (sand) reservoir, overlaid by a (clay) seal, both submerged under water. We find that gas rises through the reservoir and accumulates at the seal base. Once sufficient gas over‐pressure is achieved, gas deforms the seal, and finally escapes via either: (a) doming of the seal followed by dome breaching via fracturing; (b) brittle faulting, delineating a plug, which is lifted by the gas seeping through the bounding faults; or (c) plastic deformation by bubbles ascending through the seal. The preferred mechanism is found to depend on the seal thickness and stiffness: in stiff seals, a transition from doming and fracturing to brittle faulting occurs as the thickness increases, whereas bubble rise is preferred in the most compliant, thickest seals. Seepage can also occur by mixed modes, such as bubbles rising in faults. Repeated seepage events suspend the sediment at the surface and create pockmarks. We present a quantitative analysis that explains the tendency for the various modes of deformation observed experimentally. Finally, we connect simple theoretical arguments with field observations, highlighting similarities and differences that bound the applicability of laboratory experiments to natural pockmarks.

Natural resource and energy efficiency in BRICS countries: Can green innovation capabilities really change the game?

The inefficient exploitation of resources, overdependence on fossil fuels for energy production, and inappropriate waste management strategies have resulted in mounting environmental challenges that seriously threaten humanity and the planet.The United Nations urges businesses to transition from fossil fuels to sustainable practices, fostering cooperation between natural resources, the economy, and ecology to achieve SDGs. This shift is critical for emerging economies, which may experience rapid growth while heavily relying on fossil fuels. This study uses the nonparametric data envelopment analysis and directional distance function (DEA-DFF) model to examine how organizational green and technological innovation capabilities impact natural resource and renewable energy efficiency in BRICS countries from 2011 to 2021. The results indicated that green and technological innovation significantly improve resource and energy efficiency in BRICS economies, supporting the theoretical arguments given in the dynamic capabilities theory (DCT), business technology adoption model (BTAM), and natural resource-based view (NRBV). It all proposes theoretical and practical implications for similar developing nations. Overall, the results of the study are robust to different econometric models and data processing techniques.

Health shocks and rural farmers credit access shifts in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from the Kwahu Afram Plains South District, Ghana

In the extensive literature, farmers' credit access in SSA has been examined, albeit with limited evidence derived from health-related shocks (e.g. pandemics). While the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) "COVID-19″pandemic has exacerbated rural communities' economic downturn and financial challenges, there is still scant evidence on how this lethargy shaped farmers' credit access. Through 105 semi-structured household interviews and 10 key informant interviews in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District of Ghana, this research explores the variations and determinants of agricultural credit access in rural communities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, using Analysis of Variance "ANOVA" and logistic regression. The findings revealed that while marital status, organizational membership and the size of household labour accounted for significant variations in agricultural credit access before the pandemic, variations during the pandemic were explained by income status, gender, and household labour. Furthermore, shifts in the determinants of agricultural credit access during the pandemic were reported as household labour size, marital status, and the interaction of motorbike ownership and organizational membership, which played crucial roles in predicting the likelihood of credit access before the pandemic. Conversely, during the pandemic, gender, savings, household labour size and livestock ownership significantly determined agricultural credit access in rural communities. Based on these empirical insights, the paper advocates that savings should be encouraged and social capital should be strengthened as pandemic resilience mechanisms. At the same time, policies and programs to improve agricultural credit access during health-related shocks should target vulnerable groups. This study contributes to the theoretical debate on rural farmers' credit access determinants, emphasizing the COVID-19 pandemic as a health shock.

Social entrepreneurship and social innovation: A bibliometric review and research agenda

Despite the increasing focus on scientific maturity in social entrepreneurship (SE) and social innovation (SI), scholars still place a greater focus on defining theoretical boundaries than on the commonalities and complementarities between these phenomena. We address this gap by investigating when, how, and to what extent SE and SI are interrelated via a bibliometric analysis of the intersection of the SE and SI theoretical domains that combines cocitation analysis, historiography, and bibliographic coupling. Building on these results, we advance the theoretical debate by introducing a novel framework, documenting that while the SI process can occur beyond social enterprises’ boundaries, SE can contribute to creating, enabling, and scaling SI solutions. Moreover, we document historical convergence in a new trend accompanying the increase in SI research under the SE umbrella. This leads to a research agenda that can prompt the cross-pollination of these theories, fostering a novel theoretical construct through this combination.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT AS THE BASIS FOR THE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE AGRARIAN POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

The development of modern democratic states implies respect for the principle of subsidiarity, which means bringing down decisions and their execution to the local level. The decisions regarding the use of agrarian potential in the Republic of Serbia are still under the jurisdiction of the central government authorities, which contributes inadequately to the overall stability and development of agriculture in modern geopolitical correlations. The goal of this paper is to point out to the necessity of understanding the need to enable as much as possible the authorities at the local self-government level of the Republic of Serbia to implement the strategic goals of agrarian policy while improving permanently their agricultural capacities. Based on the research on the opinions of relevant state and local authorities and on empirical and theoretical arguments, the authors support this claim and provide a new perspective for the content of agrarian policy, as well as the development of the rich agricultural potential that the Republic of Serbia has at its disposal.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES FOR BUSINESS SUSTIANABILITY: THE ROLE OF SUSTAINABILITY-ORIENTED PROJECTS

The paper aims to investigate the correlation between knowledge management and business sustainability through sustainability-oriented projects. The role of projects in promoting sustainability is already recognized, with sustainability-oriented projects emerging as a pivotal mechanism for companies to actively contribute to sustainability goals. Theoretical arguments also suggest that the enhancement of knowledge management is crucial for the advancement of sustainable business. Still, assertions in both areas lack solid empirical verification. Simultaneously, there is a growing emphasis on exploring the connection between knowledge management and project management, as existing studies indicate that knowledge management enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of projects. However, the nexus between knowledge management, project management, and business sustainability remains largely unexplored. This study aims to address two questions: whether knowledge management has a positive effect on business sustainability, and whether it is mediated by sustainability-oriented projects. The research hypotheses are verified through a large-scale empirical study utilizing SEM.

Sharing the Spotlight: The Benefits of Having a Celebrity Competitor

Drawing from media routines and narrative theory research, we theorize that benefits spill over to competitors who are cognitively linked to a celebrity via media narratives. Specifically, we argue that actors with direct competitive relationships with a celebrity will receive increased media attention and emotive media content, as well as increased performance. Due to the nature of these narratives, we further argue that this effect continues into periods after the direct relationship has ended. We test our hypotheses using a novel, eight-year data set from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Our findings support our theoretical arguments, providing evidence on how celebrities benefit others in ways that other social evaluation assets—namely, high reputation and high status—do not.

Indonesian Agricultural Industry Innovation to Create World Food Storage in 2045

The issue of food safety and food security has become an international concern, given the increasing global food demand due to the food crisis caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. Indonesia is trying to become a global food supplier through the Indonesian government's vision of "World Food Barn 2045". This article uses the approach of the theoretical debate between Ester Boserup, Mark Nathan Cohen, Michael Lipton, Parker G. Marden, and Warren C. Robinson which states that there is a relationship between variables of food availability, changes in agricultural technology, and population growth in the world. The results of the author's research in this article assume that in handling the issue of the global food crisis it is necessary for each country to sustain the event, Indonesia seeks to sustain the global food crisis through the implementation of an "Integrated Agriculture System" that integrates the agricultural sector and the livestock sector.