Union Government Research Articles

Social reproduction and contestation of racialized Roma exclusion: The role of civil society organizations in the Czech Republic

ABSTRACT Anti-Roma racism remains a persistent concern in numerous European countries. Despite sustained efforts by both the European Union and national governments over the past two decades to promote Roma inclusion, the effectiveness of these integration policies has largely been perceived as inadequate. This has been evident in the widespread exclusion experienced by Roma communities. Focusing on the Czech Republic, this article moves from examining state policies to the actions of civil society. In this context, the article explores the role played by Czech civil society organizations (CSOs) in both challenging and perpetuating racialized Roma exclusion. Building on Bourdieu’s concept of social habitus, this article expands it to a racialized social habitus framework. Through online interviews with CSOs and ethnographic fieldwork in four Czech cities, it explores the complex interplay between integration policies, civil society, and the racialized exclusion of the Czech Roma. The article illuminates how these organizations simultaneously contest and reinforce racialized perceptions of the Roma, thereby enriching scholarly dialogue on the complex dynamics of race and racism within civil society.

Biotechnological Tool for Metal(loid)s as Cd, Cu, Ni, and P Management with Multiple Approaches: Bioremediation, Recovery of Raw Materials, and Food Safety

Contaminated soils are a challenge for implementing biotechnology in bioremediation, the recovery of Critical and Strategic Raw Materials (CRMs and SRMs), and food security. European Union (EU) Governments have established strict limits on As, Pb, Cd, and Hg in foods (Document 32023R0915) and requested the recovery of 34 CRMs within a circular economy (CE) (5th CRMs list). This study proposed a biotechnological tool for the decontamination of soil with heavy metal(loid)s by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM)-assisted phytoextraction and the subsequent recovery of CRMs or by phytostabilization to prevent their entry into the food chain. It consisted of placing Baccharis salicifolia plants, inoculated or non-inoculated with AM fungi, into bioreactors (BRs) containing mining soil with Cd, Ni, and Cu, according to the Argentinian Patent (AR090183B1). The bioextractive potential (BP) was also estimated at the highest Technological Readiness Level (TRL) using a vegetable depuration module (VDM, TRL 6). Inoculated plants showed significantly higher aerial bioaccumulation coefficients (Cd: 68.62; P: 2.99; Ni: 2.51; Cu: 0.18) in BRs, and the BP values reached 1.16 g, 9.75 g, 2.40 g, and 213.1 g for Ni, Cd, Cu, and P, respectively. Finally, these CRMs and SRMs could be recovered from biomass through hydrometallurgy within a CE framework.

“All is withered and burnt”

In the years 1923-1929 the Clanwilliam Ring of the Dutch Reformed Church was struck by a drought that left the area’s traditionally rural and agricultural population struggling with issues of food security, unemployment, and bankruptcy. Occurring in the early 20th century, the still nascent Union government was unwilling to dedicate the resources to direct food assistance schemes under flawed sociological reasoning and lacked the institutional capacity necessary to provide direct alleviation for the impacts of the drought. Consequently, the Dutch Reformed Church became the main overseer of food provision and charitable relief efforts among stricken communities through its Algemene Armesorg Kommissie. Local Dominees, deacons and elders of the church bodies in the arid Karoo acted as a grass roots organization in the monitoring and distribution of assistance (primarily through clothing and food donations) for local communities. This article focuses on the social and political realities that led to the Dutch Reformed Church playing a central role in combating the impact of the 1923–1929 drought in the ring of Clanwilliam. The study made use of archival primary sources mostly from the Dutch Reformed Church Archive in Stellenbosch, with additional sources from the Western Cape Archival Repository System and the National Archive of South Africa. Secondary research sources such as published journal articles and books, as well as unpublished dissertations were used to contextualize primary information and to add previous studies’ discussions on the topic. The study proves that the church, through its well-organized Algemene Armesorg Kommissie charity wing, acted as a much-needed intermediary often organizing and distributing donations of food, clothing and money from donors in other congregations to drought-stricken areas in a time when the government could not or would not provide such assistance.

Hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater in transboundary aquifers along the US-Mexico border and drinking water quality implications for Texas Colonias

The groundwater resources in transboundary aquifers are crucial to the development of involved nations. A unified governance strategy based on scientific data is essential for the management of transboundary aquifers. This study presents a comprehensive geochemical analysis of the groundwater quality of private wells along the US-Mexico border in Texas across three transboundary aquifer types. The concentrations of dissolved major ions, trace, and rare earth elements (REE) were measured, and the dissolved organic matter was spectroscopically characterized to evaluate the prevailing water-rock interactions, biogeochemical reactions, and anthropogenic contamination in the groundwater and their susceptibility to future contamination. Groundwater samples were collected from private wells (n = 22) from four representative counties within a section of the Texas-Mexico border (Maverick, Kinney, Dimmit, and Webb Counties). Three distinct aquifer types were revealed from the major ion composition, e.g., a carbonate aquifer within Kinney County (a part of Edwards-Trinity aquifer), an alluvial aquifer with prevailing reducing conditions within Dimmit and Webb Counties (a part of Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer), and an evaporite-rich aquifer within Maverick County. The concentrations of trace elements in the groundwater of each aquifer type were below the MCL of USEPA, however, excessive Sr concentrations were evident mostly in the evaporite-rich aquifer. Our results indicate dissolution of evaporites, and possible anthropogenic contamination may be responsible for the degradation of groundwater quality in Maverick County, raising concern for the viability of the aquifer in the future.

GAPS OF INDIAN ELECTRICAL ENERGY SECTOR AND ITS OPTIMAL MITIGATION BY USING OPTIMAL UTILIZATION OF INDIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY WITH THE HELP OF THE P&O MPPT TECHNIQUE

Developing countries, especially, India, depend importantly on energy sources to perform their country’s industrial and economic activities. Mainly the two factors continuous population growth of the country and the rapid growth rate of industrialization of the country, the gap between electrical energy supply and demand for electrical energy is slowly and consistently increasing. To resolve this unevenness, there is a jointly planned attempt is required to enhance the contribution of renewable energy in the all over mix of energy. Despite these attempts, unexpected surges caused by the sector of domestic energy consumption could lead to important shortfalls between energy requirements at peak demand and available supply in India. As a solution to this challenge, the Union government of India has launched a new policy, named PM SURYA GHAR: MUFT BIJLI YOJANA, targeted to handle this crucial problem head-on. This initiative requires addressing the increasing energy demand by promoting the utilization of solar power in households throughout the length and breadth of the country. With the implementation techniques of Photo voltaic optimization, this analysis explores how such types of strategies can play a significant role in filling the gap between the energy supply-demand in the Indian context. Employing the solar energy potential and optimizing and utilization of solar energy, creates a path to not only meet the enhancing energy requirements but also creates the path for a more environmentally friendly and sustainable energy in India. By integration of innovative technologies and solutions of renewable energy holds the key to ensuring a balanced, sustainable, stable energy supply for the future of India and country’s growth and development.

Macroeconomic Sovereignty in the European Economic and Monetary Union: A Republican Approach

The Economic and Monetary Union has fundamentally changed how fiscal and monetary powers are exercised over democratic publics which raise the question of whether a normative vision of macroeconomic sovereignty is compatible with membership within the Eurozone. After conceptualising sovereignty in republican terms as the balance between four ‘power-countering strategies’, this article conducts a normative analysis of the evolution of Economic and Monetary Union governance. This exercise shows how – by neglecting one of the four republican strategies, namely to increase citizens’ democratic participation at the European Union level – successive institutional innovations as well as recent proposals fail to make the exercise of public powers compatible with citizens’ status equality. In contrast, the argument suggests that if citizens’ influence is channelled through a ‘system of dual partisanship’, in which national and European parliamentarians coordinate their activities, national and Economic and Monetary Union’ executives’ discretion can be democratically controlled.

Challenges Facing Rural Women in Accessing Economic Empowerment Opportunities in Tanzania

This paper examines the challenges faced by women in accessing economic empowerment opportunities in Kahama Municipal, Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. Specifically, the study identifies the challenges facing rural women in accessing economic empowerment opportunities. The study used purposive sampling and randomly selected one hundred and twenty (120) respondents. Data collection was done through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Data was analyzed using content analysis. Findings indicate that financial empowerment services for rural women are severely limited by inadequate infrastructure, lack of knowledge, and financial constraints, hindering their economic progress. The fragmented nature of empowerment organizations also lead to unequal distribution of opportunities for rural women. The absence of specific legislation addressing women's economic empowerment further exacerbates the challenges faced by rural women. This study concludes that the lack of financial empowerment among women in rural areas poses a significant challenge, resulting in poverty, insufficient income, and impeding progress for both women and the nation. The absence of a law addressing empowerment issues has hindered efforts to achieve gender equality in supporting women in rural areas. This study suggests that the government, particularly the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women, and People with Special Needs, and the National Economic Empowerment Council (NEEC), should collaborate with women's forums, Civil Society Organizations, women's organizations and private sectors supporting women to develop the Tanzania Inclusive Women Economic Empowerment Model (TIWEEM). This model aims to promote economic empowerment and gender equality for women in urban and rural areas under a unified government framework. Additionally, the establishment of an Economic Empowerment Law (EEL) specifically for women is recommended to provide clear operational guidance on women's economic empowerment in the country

Governing the European Union's recovery and resilience facility: National ownership and performance‐based financing in theory and practice

AbstractThe Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) adopted in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic marks an important departure in European Union (EU) governance, as it introduces an innovative “demand‐driven, performance‐based” model aimed at overcoming the limitations of past policies seeking to promote national reforms. In this study, we set out the theoretical assumptions underlying the RRF governance model, and assess its practical effectiveness and legitimacy by analyzing the drafting, implementation, and monitoring of National Recovery and Resilience Plans in eight member states. The study concludes by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the RRF's governance model, relating them to theoretical expectations derived from previous international experience with similar approaches elsewhere, and considers the implications for future EU policy. Our core argument is that while the RRF's governance design has reinforced national ownership and commitment to reform and investment objectives, its performance‐based financing system leads to a mechanical focus on formal verification of predetermined milestones and targets, with negative consequences for both effectiveness and legitimacy. Addressing these problems would require a redesign of the RRF's complete contracting approach, giving member states greater flexibility on the means for achieving agreed commitments, as well as for revising them, not only in response to unanticipated changes in objective circumstances, but also to lessons learned during the implementation process.

Public Sphere and Deliberations for Frontier Nagaland: Reflections on Recognition and Identity

To achieve a separate state named ‘Frontier Nagaland’, the civil society of Eastern Nagaland protested against taking part in the Hornbill Festival in 2022, the state festival of the Government of Nagaland, India. Initially, the civil society also decided to boycott the Nagaland Legislative Elections in 2023. Civil society organisations have refrained from participating in the festival after deliberating on the matter through different media platforms. Abstention from the festival, a cultural means of protest, brought the question of identity by highlighting not only the unequal development in the region but also their recognition as a ‘significant other’. This study argues that the protest and deliberation in the public sphere communicated well with the public, state and union government, creating a conducive atmosphere for deliberative democracy.

The political uses of the history of the Chile-an Civil War of 1891 during the last stage of the Popular Unity Government (1973)

The political uses of the history of the Chile-an Civil War of 1891 during the last stage of the Popular Unity Government (1973)

Introduction: Future‐proofing policies – How foresight shapes European Union governance

AbstractIntroducing this issue, the present article notes how the growing political importance given to foresight in EU governance has so far only sparked limited interest among scholars of EU law and policy‐making. To address this gap, the article starts by clarifying concepts and defining the key terminology at the intersection between (strategic) foresight and EU governance ‘in the law’ (involving societal actors in law‐making processes) and ‘through law’ (governmental actors steering society via law). It then offers a comparative discussion of the main insights of the contributions to the issue, highlighting how and why foresight has become institutionalised and how it operates across EU institutions today. In the concluding section, the article turns to the future and calls for more research into how foresight shapes EU governance, setting a research agenda for the study of foresight as a practice informing law‐ and policy‐making in the European Union.

조선시대 조선과 명의 국경인식과 조명관계

After the founding of the country, Joseon actively established foreign relations in order to stabilize the legitimacy of the dynasty and the ruling system. Joseon established friendly diplomatic relations with the Ming and established diplomatic relations with the Jurchen and Japan. The external relations of the Joseon were shaped by the international situation, and it formulated and implemented an active foreign policy to eliminate political and military threats. The Ming, which replaced the Yuan as the central state in East Asia, sought to establish a unified governance system centered on the emperor domestically during the reign of the Hongwu Emperor(洪武帝) and externally to form an international order centered on the Ming. The Ming recognized Joseon in the northeast as a neighboring country and implemented an active policy of conciliation in order to bring the Jurchen, who lived in Liaodong and the northern part of the Korean peninsula, under the influence of the Ming. Specifically, the Ming established a military government system to actively govern Liaodong and set up a loose rein policy(羈縻政策) for the surrounding Jurchen. The Ming wanted to establish a border with Joseon along the Yalu river(압록강) and Tumen river(두만강) to create a stable relationship. Joseon emerged as a state on the Korean peninsula, replacing Goryeo, and continued to have stable diplomatic relations with the Ming. In addition, Joseon wanted to keep the Jurchen, who lived in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, under Joseon's sphere of influence in case the northern ethnic groups, including the Jurchen, were invaded by the international situation. As such, the Joseon and Ming clashed over influence over the Liaodong and the Jurchen. Basically, however, Joseon and Ming maintained mutually recognized borders and sought a stable international order. However, the concept of Joseon's borders was complicated by the consolidation of the Jurchen in the 16th century and their emergence as a new power. As the Jurchen expanded their power, Joseon, in conjunction with the Ming, actively sought to control them. However, due to the rapidly changing conditions of the Imjin War, the Joseon and Ming were unable to curb the growth of the Jurchen. The unified Jurchen founded the Later Jin(後金) and went to war with the Ming in earnest, renamed the Qing, and defeated the Ming, emerging as the center of power in East Asia. The border problems of the Joseon and Qing were both continuous and distinct from the border problems of the Joseon and Ming.

Try, Try Again: Repeat Veto Threats in Presidential-Congressional Bargaining

Presidents use veto threats to bargain over legislation with Congress. While presidents may fail if Congress passes legislation over their veto threat, they also lose some power if they must repeatedly “go public” in bargaining over one bill. This article examines “repeat” veto threats: multiple veto threats issued to the same bill. Using data on all veto threats issued from 1985 through 2022, I find that presidents issue fewer repeat veto threats during unified government and when majority control of the two congressional chambers is divided. Presidents with higher approval ratings also tend to issue more repeat veto threats. Presidents avoid repeatedly “going public” when they can but more popular presidents do so if they must. I also find evidence of more repeat veto threats on spending bills, which suggests that presidential bargaining and “going public” operate differently across the authorization and appropriations processes.

Impact of the 2022 energy crisis on energy transition awareness in Latvia

Citizens, businesses, and governments faced energy scarcity, skyrocketing costs, and a high degree of unpredictability due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This situation has forced the European Union and national governments to switch to local energy resources and increase energy efficiency more strictly. But has society's attitude changed in the same way? Two separate public opinion surveys and network analyses were carried out to gain an understanding of energy efficiency practices prevalent in Latvia before and after the war erupted. In addition, the energy community simulation tool has been used to quantify the economic indicators under various conditions.The household survey results show that there, in fact, have been relatively few measures adopted to increase energy efficiency among the population during the energy crisis. The developed policy energy community simulation tool shows, that the energy costs in existing multi-family buildings have increased from around 61 EUR/m2 to 83.5 EUR/m2. However, it is still not motivating households to seek solutions toward more efficient energy use and RES generation due to the governmental subsidies to cover steep cost increases. Interventions targeting efficient energy communities through building managers would give higher strength and long-term effects.

Assessing the effectiveness of social protection measures in mitigating COVID-19-related income shocks in the European union

By means of counterfactual simulation methods, this paper quantifies the role of tax–benefit policies in mitigating the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic to household income in the European Union. The tax-benefit microsimulation model for the European Union EUROMOD is used to decompose changes in the income distribution into the effects of: (i) earnings losses due to COVID-19, (ii) automatic stabilizers, (iii) monetary compensation schemes introduced during the pandemic; and (iv) COVID-19-specific reforms to taxes and benefits implemented by European Union governments. The results show a great deal of heterogeneity between countries in terms of earnings losses and the effect of tax-benefit policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. In most countries, the largest contribution to cushioning the economic shock of the pandemic comes from monetary compensation schemes. Automatic stabilizers also play a role, mainly through the effects of social insurance contributions, taxes, and unemployment insurance benefits. Tax-benefit systems cushioned incomes to a large extent even among those most severely affected by the shock to earnings, with an important role for monetary compensation schemes, but also a larger stabilizing effect of unemployment insurance. Among automatic stabilizers, social assistance benefits played an important role in cushioning the income shock for the poorest quintiles among the most severely affected, but only in selected countries.

The Chilean War

The tragic outcome of the Popular Unity (UP) government led by Salvador Allende marked a turning point in the history of Latin American societies. The destruction of the continent's most vigorous and organized socialist movement put an end to the reformist political agenda aimed at overcoming the economic, social, and cultural foundations perpetuating underdevelopment and external dependency in the region. The defeat of the Chilean revolution coincided with significant transformations triggered by the structural crisis of capital. It signified the conclusion of the long cycle of post-war capitalist development and the beginning of a process of globalization in business encouraged by major transnational corporations. The exhaustion of Fordism, the crisis of the Welfare State, and the failure of Keynesianism initiated a period of sustained capital offensive against labor and public policies.

Opportunities and Challenges of China’s Economic and Political Development Under the Third Term of Xi Leadership: A Viewpoint of Malaysia

In the face of severe internal economic challenges and rising hostile geopolitical landscape, Xi Jinping’s unprecedented third term has garnered much attention as the way in which these challenges are addressed will not only impact China’s internal governance on development issues but also its foreign policy and strategy. The paper attempts to examine the implications of Xi’s strategy and policy—from its stated goals to actions and outcomes—for Malaysia with respect to opportunities and challenges and its strategic response. The analysis benefits from the insights from the international political economy, which explores how the apparent weak unity government under Anwar Ibrahim’s administration amid tough domestic challenges and rising hostile geopolitical environment strives to reconcile the imperative of its domestic legitimation to prioritize immediate economic benefits over potential security concerns. Despite the reinvigorating Malaysia-China relations has brought tangible results, paving the way for more mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities and partnerships, the external pressure caused Malaysia under Anwar’s administration to maintain Malaysia’s hedging under uncertainties in structural conditions rather than balancing or bandwagoning. Malaysia’s inclination to hedge is against the various risks associated with the uncertainty inherent in US-China rivalry—e.g. uncertainty in the future of Sino-American relations, uncertainty in Xi Jinping’s long-term strategic goals, uncertainty surrounding China’s slowing economy, diffuse threats, and uncertain reliable and sustainable allied supports. The recent rapid expansion of China’s investment in the country to avoid tariffs imposed by the US on certain products of China could be a double-edged sword. While smaller power like Malaysia with heavy economic dependence on China and the US will confront greater external constraints to maintain strategic ambiguity and keep its strategic options open, managing tradeoffs in foreign policy choices continues to be driven and constrained by the imperative of elite’s domestic legitimation embedded in the state-market-society interactions.

Responding to COVID-19: theorizing European Union governance and health policy

ABSTRACT The European Union experienced several significant crises before the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic that could result in paradigmatic changes that advance either the EU’s coordination or its disintegration. This paper investigates responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and explains the policy changes during the crisis using a comparative framework of neo-functionalism and intergovernmentalism in European integration theory. Tracking integration theories and comparing the new dynamics arising from the pandemic, we demonstrate that the pandemic has intensified long-standing trends in EU governance, resulting in the shift in EU governance during the pandemic being interpreted as both a reconceptualization of interests and a reframing of norms. The pandemic is therefore a wake-up call for the EU about the lack of deep European integration and incremental change, particularly with respect to the EU’s relative ineffectiveness in influencing its members’ health policies and reforms.

Guns, goons, and the waterfront priest: Remaking Manila's anti-communist docks in 1950

This article examines how early Cold War anti-communism transformed labor processes at the Port of Manila. In 1950 the threat of communism at the city's port gained the attention of the highest reaches of the US State Department. Shifting diplomatic discourses and a changing Cold War map imbued new meaning into trade union racketeering and Filipino dockworkers who were, it was dubiously argued, on the verge of joining the country's communists. Through archival analysis of diplomatic dispatches, intelligence reports, and newspaper sources, this article examines a series of spectacular events and covert political diplomacy. In particular it explains how an American Jesuit priest in Manila earned the trust of the State Department and played an outsized role in remaking pier-side labor politics. As concern grew in Washington, American diplomats covertly intervened to back the priest. In detailing how the piers staged global geopolitics, the article also situates these affairs in local political contexts to argue for a more nuanced understanding of anti-communism in Southeast Asia. Filipino trade union leaders and government officials colluded with but also subverted and remade American discourses and diplomacy to their own political and economic advantage.

Empowering the Relationship Between the Government Functional Departments and Local Government Integration: An Integrated Study Based on Urban Digital Governance Platforms

Within the context of modernising government governance, the "platform" in the construction of digital government has become key in driving the efficiency of government services and management. This paper, based on the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework and combined with theories of holistic governance and collaborative governance, delves into the crucial role of information technology and emerging governance models in eliminating barriers between government departments, optimising departmental structures, and fostering mechanisms for inter-departmental collaboration and sharing. Throughout the research, emphasis is placed on the importance of emerging technologies such as cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence in promoting efficient collaboration and resource sharing between government departments. By integrating and optimising governmental internal and inter-departmental data resources and service processes, it is possible to effectively advance the enhancement and integration of the relationship between the government functional departments and local government relations, adapt to the rapid changes in societal demands, and provide more precise and convenient public services. The core objective of this study is to establish a unified government big data platform, promoting the optimisation and integration of departmental structures, constructing an efficient mechanism for departmental collaboration and sharing, achieving data sharing and flow, and establishing a tight governance network. This aims to comprehensively enhance government governance capabilities and service quality, provide assurance for achieving more efficient and equitable governance objectives.