Cynicism as Immanent Critique: Diogenes and the Philosophy of Transvaluation

I argue that Diogenes and early Cynicism can be understood in an explicitly social and political context, where Cynic praxis, performative public action, can be seen to make visible oppositions inherent to the polity. In doing so, Diogenes’ praxis should be understood as a form of immanent critique, one that demonstrates, for example, that nature and custom (phusis and nomos) are interrelated oppositions in the polis. Cynicism here is understood as a form of immanent critique because Diogenes challenges the social norms of the polis without endorsing external universal standards or predetermined models, but from illuminating dynamics from within the polis and polity.

Citizen as Sensors' Commitment in Urban Public Action

Based on a case study in Rennes, the article presents how a group of urban public actors re-uses methods and technology from citizen sciences to raise the urban air quality issue in the public debate. The project gives a group of inhabitants the opportunity to follow air quality training and proceed PM2.5µm measurements. The authors question the impact of the ongoing hybridisation between citizen science and urban public action on participants' commitment. The authors present how the use of PM2.5-sensors during 11 weeks led to a disengagement phenomenon, even if the authors observe a strong participation to workshops. These results come from an interdisciplinary methodology using observations, interviews, and data analyses.

PENTÁGONO DE POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS COMO MODELO DE ANÁLISE NA IMPLEMENTAÇÃO DA INOVAÇÃO SOCIAL

O presente estudo tem como problema de pesquisa: De que maneira a sociologia política da ação pública contribui para esclarecer as barreiras e indutores na implementação da inovação social? Para responder tal problema, esta pesquisa propõe a utilização do pentágono de políticas públicas como modelo de análise na implementação da inovação social, tendo em vista a capacidade do mesmo para análise de aspectos cognitivos dos atores, que podem contribuir para explanar a dimensão política da inovação social, a qual é tida como incógnita que demanda esclarecimento. O estudo da implementação da inovação social a partir de um modelo de análise de implementação de políticas públicas é possível porque tanto a inovação social quanto a ação pública levam em conta os quadros cognitivos decorrentes da interação e articulação de atores, aspectos subjetivos e objetivos, com foco na solução de uma questão social como a desigualdade social, a pobreza, o crime, o analfabetismo. Tanto a ação pública quanto a inovação social consideram importante a diversidade de atores e a atuação ativa destes, o empoderamento, o protagonismo dos mesmos, na busca por soluções para questões sociais. O estudo da inovação social é relevante para toda sociedade, pois é um tema que aborda questões de interesse coletivo. O presente trabalho inova na medida em que propõe que a implementação da inovação social seja analisada por meio do pentágono de políticas públicas. Palavras-Chave: Pentágono de Políticas Públicas. Inovação Social. Barreiras. Indutores. Implementação. Abstract: The present study has the following research problem: How does the political sociology of public action contribute to clarify the barriers and dravers in the implementation of social innovation? To answer this problem, this research proposes the use of the public policies pentagon as a model of analysis in the social innovation implementation, given its ability to analyze cognitive aspects of actors, which contribute to explain the political dimension of social innovation, which is considered a unknown variable that requires clarification. The study of social innovation implementation from a model of public policy implementation analysis is possible because both social innovation and public action take into account cognitive aspects arising from the interaction and articulation of actors, subjective and objective aspects, focused on solving a social issue such as social inequality, poverty, crime, illiteracy. Both public action and social innovation consider important the diversity of actors and their active role, their empowerment, their protagonism, in the search for solutions to social issues. The social innovation study is relevant to society as a whole, as it is a topic that addresses issues of collective interest. The present study innovates in that it proposes that the implementation of social innovation be analyzed through of the public policies pentagon. Keywords: Public Policies Pentagon. Social Innovation. Barriers. Drivers. Implementation.

Performing Crisis Management: National Repertoires of Symbolic Action and Their Usage during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Europe

The role of the symbolic is often overlooked in the public policy literature. Yet, it is a key component of public action, particularly in crisis management. During the Covid-19 pandemic, all democratic states needed to carry out cognitive and emotional work to persuade their citizens to show solidarity and comply with heavy restrictions. The near-simultaneous occurrence of the pandemic’s first wave (March–May 2020) allows us to compare the patterns of symbolic crisis management across four European countries (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom). Our analysis finds significant variation in governments’ usage of the symbolic. We analyse leaders’ performances (wordcraft and stagecraft) as they try to reassure citizens, unite the nation, and legitimise themselves and their decisions. Our article shows not only that national leaders pay great attention to the symbolic in the management of crises, but also that their performances differ systematically in line with their personas and distinct national political cultures.

Gobernanza de ciudades intermedias: aprendiendo de acciones post-desastre en la zona Metropolitana de Acapulco, México

This article analyses the governance patterns of post-disaster public action carried out after Hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel hit Coyuca de Benítez in 2013, a municipality that is part of the Metropolitan Area of Acapulco, Mexico, seeking to contribute towards broadening knowledge about the modes of governance of intermediate cities, and in particular, those related to disaster risk reduction. Conceptually, the concept of adaptive governance is presented to contrast and reflect on prevailing governance patterns in Coyuca. Methodologically speaking, this work is based on the sociology of public action, to analyse the reconstruction processes of infrastructure, public services, and housing, through interviews, focus groups, and diverse written sources. This paper argues that, despite the decentralization and democratization efforts of recent decades, governance patterns are highly centralized and not very adaptive, limiting the development of participatory and articulated interventions that meet people's daily needs and improve their quality of life. In this context, public action, rather than reducing disaster risks, has increased and/or generated new risks in already precarious and vulnerable urban territories. Along the same vein, this paper questions the relevance of regulatory and conceptual frameworks, such as adaptive governance, to guide significant changes, given the distance between ideal and existing governance patterns in the territories.

The Effects of Consensus Messages and the Importance of a Pre-Test: A Comment on Chinn and Hart (2021)

Chinn and Hart (2021) argue that their experiment on the effects of communicating the scientific consensus on climate change revealed “mixed” and “inconsistent findings”. We note that Chinn and Hart (2021) provide clear and consistent evidence that the scientific consensus message has positive indirect effects on climate beliefs, attitudes, and support for public action, and that these effects are more pronounced among conservatives (as predicted). Importantly, however, the authors’ claim that these positive findings might simply be the result of an experimental design choice: the use of a pre-test of the dependent variables. Here we argue that no convincing evidence is provided for the conclusion that pre-tests should not be used. In fact, contrary to the authors’ recommendation, we make the case that the inclusion of a pre-test in randomized controlled designs increases power and precision. Furthermore, we point to its central importance for the ability to capture and evaluate the Gateway Belief Model’s (GBM) key predictions about changes in public attitudes.

Integrating Ecology into Land Planning and Development: Between Disillusionment and Hope, Questioning the Relevance and Implementation of the Mitigation Hierarchy

Scientific research on the mitigation hierarchy has steadily increased over the past few years at the international level. While some seek to improve the application of this public action instrument, others point out its shortcomings and risks. This opinion paper—which focuses on the French context—does not provide an exhaustive overview of existing research but instead targets specific issues considered to be a “priority”. We mainly investigate the relevance and implementation of the mitigation hierarchy, especially from an ecological point of view. Part of this paper thus questions the very principle of biodiversity offsetting (BO)—the last resort of the mitigation hierarchy that brings together numerous controversies—and the adequacy of the mitigation hierarchy with the objective of no net loss (NNL) of biodiversity. The general idea underlying this paper is to show how the mitigation hierarchy has been built and based on what values (mainly economic and legal, which leads us to conclude about the lack of ecology in the policy itself). In doing so, we provide a few perspectives as to what should be done to (better) integrate ecology into land use planning and development.

PARADOXICAL PRACTICES IN PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS: THE CASE OF A COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION / PARADOXES ORGANISATIONNAL DANS LES ORGANISATIONS PUBLIQUES : CAS D'UNE ORGANISATION A CARACTERE COMMERCIAL ET INDUSTRIEL

Public sector organizations are by nature complex multifunctional entities, attempting to reconcile partially conflicting objectives and considerations (Perrow, 1972). The advent of new public management (NPM) has only increased the number of paradoxes to be faced, since these new managerial requirements, focused on performance, efficiency and even profitability, were added to those, very present, linked to the essential principles of public action. In this study, we address the paradoxical nature of the daily work of proximity managers and identify strategies for managing the paradoxes they face. Our results confirmed two key points: 1) the presence of organizational paradoxes that affect the daily work of proximity managers; and 2) that proximity managers can respond to paradoxical tensions by applying different defensive and active approaches. They must then show a behavioral complexity that allows them to manage the paradoxes in order to take into account the multiplicity of tendencies that are expressed within the organization. Les organisations du secteur public sont par nature des entités multifonctionnelles complexes, qui tentent de concilier des objectifs et des considérations partiellement contradictoires (Perrow, 1972). L’avènement du new public management (NPM) n’a fait qu’augmenter le nombre de paradoxes à affronter, puisque ces nouvelles exigences managériales axées sur la performance, l’efficience voire la rentabilité, venaient se rajouter à celles, bien présentes, liées aux principes essentiels de l’action publique. Dans cette étude, nous abordons la nature paradoxale du travail quotidien des cadres de proximité et nous identifions les stratégies de gestion des paradoxes auxquels ils sont confrontés. Nos résultats ont permis de confirmer deux points essentiels : 1) la présence des paradoxes organisationnels qui se répercutent au niveau du travail quotidien des cadres de proximité; et 2) Ces derniers peuvent réagir aux tensions paradoxales en appliquant différentes défensives et actives. Ils doivent alors montrer une complexité comportementale leur permettant de gérer les paradoxes afin de prendre en compte la multiplicité des tendances qui s’expriment au sein de l’organisation. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0986/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Theatre Associations in Working Class Neighbourhoods: between Politicisation and Public Action

For about thirty years now, in the context of urban policies, number of theater associations carry out projects in working-class neighborhoods providing active participation of their inhabitants. Based on an ethnographic survey in France and Italy, this article highlights the discursive politicisation processes within these associations. Participatory theatre provides a framework a priori conducive to generate “public spirited-political conversations”. However, these processes can be hampered by a set of public funding constraints.