Creating and Disrupting Othering During Policymaking in a Polarized Context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan K Schraedley ◽  
Debbie S Dougherty
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Security ◽  
National Security ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Opposing Party ◽  
Policy Proposals ◽  
Global Food

Abstract As the United States has become increasingly polarized, policymakers have had difficulty gaining bipartisan support for policy proposals. Political polarization can lead to the othering of individuals, a process characterized by the tendency to construct members of an opposing party in negative ways. In this article, we examine the creation and disruption of othering through the lens of language convergence/meaning divergence (LC/MD) and pragmatic ambiguity. LC/MD and pragmatic ambiguity framed our case study of the successful bipartisan passage of the Global Food Security Act (GFSA) in 2016. We found that othering was produced through a maestro Discourse of Polarization that structured interactions between other Discourses, including the Discourse of National Security and the Global Good Discourse. Discordant framings of the three Discourses created the ambiguity necessary to disrupt othering and achieve collective action. The findings provide new theoretical insights into othering processes while pragmatic ambiguity broadens LC/MD in important ways.

scholarly journals Exposure to Common Enemies can Increase Political Polarization: Evidence from a Cooperation Experiment with Automated Partisans

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eaman Jahani ◽  
Natalie McDaniel Gallagher ◽  
Friedolin Merhout ◽  
Nicolo Cavalli ◽  
Douglas Guilbeault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
United States ◽  
Social Science ◽  
The United States ◽  
Computational Social Science ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Group Conflict ◽  
Opposing Party ◽  
Common Enemy

Longstanding theory indicates the threat of a common enemy can mitigate conflict between members of rival groups. We tested this hypothesis in a pre-registered experiment where 1,670 Republicans and Democrats in the United States were asked to complete a collaborative online task with an automated agent or “bot” that was labelled as a member of the opposing party. Prior to this task, we exposed respondents to primes about a) a common enemy (involving threats from Iran, China, and Russia); b) a patriotic event; or c) a neutral, apolitical prime. Though we observed no significant differences in the behavior of Democrats as a result of these primes, we found that Republicans—and particularly those with very strong conservative views—were significantly less likely to cooperate with Democrats when primed about a common enemy. We also observed lower rates of cooperation among Republicans who participated in our study during the 2020 Iran crisis, which occurred in the middle of our fieldwork. These findings indicate common enemies may not reduce inter-group conflict in highly polarized societies, and contribute to a growing number of studies that find evidence of asymmetric political polarization. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for research in social psychology, political conflict, and the rapidly expanding field of computational social science.

scholarly journals Conducting Research from the Ground Up

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-429
Author(s):  
Lisa H. Weasel
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Participatory Approaches ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
New Research ◽  
Global Food

Research in the natural sciences has tended to uncritically focus on providing technoscientific solutions to the problem of global food security, often in the form of genetically modified seeds. Yet the intended recipients of these seeds, often lower-caste women, have in some cases been vehement in their rejection of these solutions. Qualitative participatory approaches informed by feminist principles, as applied in this case study in Andhra Pradesh, India, can elucidate both the reasons for this rejection, and help to chart a more appropriate epistemological orientation for developing solutions based in community members' lives and needs. Such an approach can in turn give rise to new research questions and orientations to be taken up by technoscientific researchers wishing to approach collaborative solutions to global food security.

scholarly journals Global Food Security Assessment during 1961–2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 14005
Author(s):  
Jingpeng Guo ◽  
Kebiao Mao ◽  
Zijin Yuan ◽  
Zhihao Qin ◽  
Tongren Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food System ◽  
System Security ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Food Trade ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Global Food System ◽  
Global Food

Quantified components of the global food system are used to assess long-term global food security under a series of socio-economic, epidemic normalization and climate change scenarios. Here, we evaluate the global food security including the global farming system as well as the global food trade, reserve and loss systems from 1961 to 2019, and analyze their temporal and spatial characteristics by using the global food vulnerability (GFV) model. The spatio–temporal patterns of the vulnerability of the global food system were consistent with the GFSI. As food production and consumption vary greatly in different countries which have continued for a long time, food exports from many developed agricultural countries have compensated for food shortages in most countries (about 120 net grain-importing countries). As a result, many countries have relied heavily on food imports to maintain their domestic food supplies, ultimately causing the global food trade stability to have an increasing impact on the food security of most countries. The impact of global food trade on global food security increased from 9% to 17% during 1961–2019, which has increased the vulnerability of the global food system. The food damage in the United States, Russia, China, and India has varied significantly, and global cereal stocks have fluctuated even more since 2000. From 1961 to 2019, the food system security of some Nordic countries significantly improved, while the food system security of most African countries significantly deteriorated. Most countries with high food insecurity are located in Africa and South Asia. In order to cope with extreme events, these countries need to strengthen and improve their own food production and storage systems, which will help the World Food and Agriculture Organization to formulate relevant food policies and maintain sustainable development.

scholarly journals A regional nuclear conflict would compromise global food security

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (13) ◽  
pp. 7071-7081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Jägermeyr ◽  
Alan Robock ◽  
Joshua Elliott ◽  
Christoph Müller ◽  
Lili Xia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food System ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Crop Models ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
Global Mean Temperature ◽  
Global Food

A limited nuclear war between India and Pakistan could ignite fires large enough to emit more than 5 Tg of soot into the stratosphere. Climate model simulations have shown severe resulting climate perturbations with declines in global mean temperature by 1.8 °C and precipitation by 8%, for at least 5 y. Here we evaluate impacts for the global food system. Six harmonized state-of-the-art crop models show that global caloric production from maize, wheat, rice, and soybean falls by 13 (±1)%, 11 (±8)%, 3 (±5)%, and 17 (±2)% over 5 y. Total single-year losses of 12 (±4)% quadruple the largest observed historical anomaly and exceed impacts caused by historic droughts and volcanic eruptions. Colder temperatures drive losses more than changes in precipitation and solar radiation, leading to strongest impacts in temperate regions poleward of 30°N, including the United States, Europe, and China for 10 to 15 y. Integrated food trade network analyses show that domestic reserves and global trade can largely buffer the production anomaly in the first year. Persistent multiyear losses, however, would constrain domestic food availability and propagate to the Global South, especially to food-insecure countries. By year 5, maize and wheat availability would decrease by 13% globally and by more than 20% in 71 countries with a cumulative population of 1.3 billion people. In view of increasing instability in South Asia, this study shows that a regional conflict using <1% of the worldwide nuclear arsenal could have adverse consequences for global food security unmatched in modern history.

scholarly journals Food security in a perfect storm: using the ecosystem services framework to increase understanding

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1639) ◽  
pp. 20120288 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Poppy ◽  
S. Chiotha ◽  
F. Eigenbrod ◽  
C. A. Harvey ◽  
M. Honzák ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Grand Challenge ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Global Population ◽  
Global Food ◽  
Perfect Storm ◽  
Pressure State

Achieving food security in a ‘perfect storm’ scenario is a grand challenge for society. Climate change and an expanding global population act in concert to make global food security even more complex and demanding. As achieving food security and the millennium development goal (MDG) to eradicate hunger influences the attainment of other MDGs, it is imperative that we offer solutions which are complementary and do not oppose one another. Sustainable intensification of agriculture has been proposed as a way to address hunger while also minimizing further environmental impact. However, the desire to raise productivity and yields has historically led to a degraded environment, reduced biodiversity and a reduction in ecosystem services (ES), with the greatest impacts affecting the poor. This paper proposes that the ES framework coupled with a policy response framework, for example Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR), can allow food security to be delivered alongside healthy ecosystems, which provide many other valuable services to humankind. Too often, agro-ecosystems have been considered as separate from other natural ecosystems and insufficient attention has been paid to the way in which services can flow to and from the agro-ecosystem to surrounding ecosystems. Highlighting recent research in a large multi-disciplinary project (ASSETS), we illustrate the ES approach to food security using a case study from the Zomba district of Malawi.

Partisanship over security: Public narratives via Twitter on foreign interferences in the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections

First Monday ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Luther ◽  
Benjamin Horne ◽  
Xu Zhang
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Security ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
The Political ◽  
Security Issue ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
The Public ◽  
The U.S

Using a mixed methods approach, we explore the main narrative themes conveyed by the public, via microblogging platform Twitter, in regard to foreign interferences in the U.S. presidential elections of 2016 and 2020. Our findings show that rather than expressing serious concerns about foreign threats to the United States’ democracy and its electoral process, the tweets reflected the political polarization that has come to characterize the American public. Rather than perceiving the interferences as a national security issue, the public appeared to selectively use the foreign threats to bolster their partisan positions.

scholarly journals The Canary in the Mine: Remote Learning in the Time of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
David Coker
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Organizations ◽  
Individual School ◽  
Returning To School ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Policy Proposals ◽  
Remote Learning

National organizations in the United States issued policy proposals for returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative review, using the constant comparison model, examined six policies from different organizations. The policies operate on the notion of a progressive curriculum, with the values of equity, access, and adaptations driving the planning process. There are five variables national policies utilize to operationalize the progressive curriculum and values: organizing, staffing, scheduling, envisioning, and vulnerabilities. A case study using an individual school district examined the impact on learning within the framework of the policies. Recommendations to improve online and remote learning follow.

scholarly journals A case study of the Global Food Security Act of 2016 : interorganizational policymaking and food security d/discourses

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Megan Annette Koch Schraedley
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Dual Purpose ◽  
Government Organization ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Development Organization ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Global Food

For this dissertation case study, I examined how individuals, especially those who worked on interorganizational food security programming and policymaking, discussed organizational policy messaging and the discursively constructed meanings around their work related to food security. I focused on the communicative linkages between a US government development organization and the problem of food insecurity because this condition continues to plague nearly a billion people around the world. Specifically, I investigated the communicative processes leading up to the passage of the Global Food Security Act (2016), including the organizational construction of meaning that helped get the bipartisan legislation passed at a contentious time in our government's history. I conducted in-depth, qualitative interviews with food security professionals and coded documents related to the passage of the GFSA. This study serves a dual purpose: 1) The findings provide evidence of language convergence/meaning divergence that adds to a deeper scholarly understanding of how policies are created and interpreted differently, and 2) the findings offer insight into the ways in which a US government organization uses strategic ambiguity to persuade stakeholders to fund food security programming and support impactful international programming.

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