scholarly journals The Social Shaping of Nuclear Energy Technology in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britta Rennkamp ◽  
Radhika Bhuyan
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Energy Technology ◽  
African Government ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Media ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Shaping ◽  
Energy Emissions

This chapter analyses the question why the South African government intends to procure nuclear energy technology, despite affordable and accessible fossil and renewable energy alternatives. The authors analyse the social shaping of nuclear energy technology based on the statements of political actors in the public media. The authors combine a discourse network analysis with qualitative analysis to establish the coalitions in support and opposition of the programme. The central arguments in the debate are cost, safety, job creation, the appropriateness of nuclear energy, emissions reductions, transparency, risks for corruption, and geopolitical influences. The analysis concludes that the nuclear programme is not primarily about generating electricity, as it creates tangible benefits for the coalition of supporters.

Facets of the Irish Diaspora: ‘Irishness’ in 20th Century Scotland

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Social Setting ◽  
Population Groups ◽  
Football Club ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Arena ◽  
Public Media ◽  
The Social ◽  
Common Identity

This paper argues that Celtic Football Club has played a central organising role in establishing a common identity for Catholics of Irish descent in Scotland. Concentrating on evidence taken from discourse in the public media, it draws attention to reactions to this identity by other population groups. Such responses, which are frequently ferocious in the degree of rejection they express, highlight the effects of Celtic's role. It provides a public arena within which Irishness can be expressed; at the same time, it draws fire from hostile elements in the social setting. Tensions within the Irish community about their common identity may in part be responses to these reactions.

scholarly journals Telewizja jako aktor polityczny w ocenie społecznej Polaków

2020 ◽  
pp. 115-129
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Maciejewska-Mieszkowska
Keyword(s):  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Political Actor ◽  
Social Evaluation ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The Public ◽  
Audiovisual Media ◽  
Political Reality ◽  
Political Preferences ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Scene

Television as a political actor in the social assessment by Poles Television, treated as one of political actors, is subject to social evaluation in terms of its credibility and trust. In the case of Polish audiovisual media, many years of surveys in the field show that in the last few years there have been fundamental changes in the perception of television broadcasts by Poles. This tendency should be associated with the dynamic transformations of the Polish political scene and the shaping of political preferences of the public. This publication aims to show changes in the assessment of television, taking into account the attitude of Poles towards political reality and their preferences in the use of specific sources of information.

South African government faces public-sector showdown

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
South African ◽  
African Government ◽  
Wage Bill ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rating Agencies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Debt Burden ◽  
Political Position ◽  
The Face

Significance The negotiations follow the government’s refusal last year to pay the final annual tranche of a previous three-year deal. Containing the public-sector wage bill is seen as key for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration to rein in a spiralling debt burden. Impacts The three main rating agencies may postpone their next assessments until the wage talks gain greater clarity. Government firmness in the face of union demands could undermine Ramaphosa’s hold on the ruling ANC. With unions in a weak political position, they may have to stomach government intransigence due to lack of alternatives to Ramaphosa. Substantial concessions to unions would be divisive amid difficult budgetary choices such as below-inflation increases on social grants.

scholarly journals HOLDING UP A MIRROR TO APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA: PUBLIC DISCOURSE ON THE ISSUE OF OVERCROWDING IN SOUTH AFRICAN PRISONS 1980 TO 1984 – PART 2

Obiter ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Allister Peté
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Media ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Ideological Struggle ◽  
Form Part ◽  
Formed Part ◽  
Apartheid Regime

During the first half of the 1980s, the issue of chronic overcrowding within the South African penal system formed part of an intense ideological struggle between those who supported and those who opposed the apartheid regime. Public debate around this issue acted as a mirror, reflecting early cracks which were beginning to appear in the edifice of apartheid. Since the prisons were the ultimate instrument of social control within the apartheid system, the ongoing crises caused by chronic overcrowding within these institutions served as a kind of “canary in the mine” for the apartheid system as a whole. The debates which took place during the early 1980s around overcrowding are also important because they form part of a common theme running through South African penal discourse as a whole. This article seeks to show how the debates on prison overcrowding which took place in the first half of the 1980s fit into a long-term pattern of recurring ideological crises surrounding this issue. The article is divided into two parts. In Part One, the above themes were explored through the public discourse surrounding the Steyn Commission of Enquiry into the public media, as well as the Hoexter Commission of Enquiry into the structure and functioning of South Africa’s courts. Whereas Part One deals only with certain early debates arising out of the Hoexter Commission – up to February 1981 – Part Two takes this as a starting point and traces a number of further themes which arose in the debates surrounding the Hoexter Commission between February 1981 and April 1984, when the Commission delivered its report.

scholarly journals The Socio-Political Role of Zombie Categories. A Case Study of the Referendum Amending Article 48 of The Romanian Constitution (6-7 October 2018)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Georgeta Ghebrea
Keyword(s):  
Risk Society ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The Public ◽  
Traditional Family ◽  
Political Role ◽  
Public Agenda ◽  
The Social ◽  
Definition Of

Our scope was to explain the failure of the Referendum on the revision of Article 48 of the Romanian Constitution, regarding the definition of family (held in 2018 and known as the "traditional family referendum"). We hypothesized that in Romania the traditional family has become a "zombie" category, unable to produce an authentic mobilization of the social-political actors. Still, the traditional family represents an anchor that counteracts insecurity and anxiety caused by the "risk society" in which we live. This function is capitalized by social-political actors as a source of their legitimation. Our understanding was based on the processual analysis of this issue on the public agenda, from inflammation to extinction. This analysis clearly showed the process of gradual demobilization of the actors involved.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study on South African Users’ Perception to Use, Choose, and Purchase a Smartphone Device through the Lens of the Social Shaping of Technology (SST) Theory

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lufungula Osembe
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Social Shaping Of Technology ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Shaping ◽  
Analyse Data

Mobile technologies are increasingly making important contributions to the lives of many users. Various factors are said to influence the decision of users to remain connected and be in constant interaction with other users from the same or different social networks. This paper used the Social Shaping of Technology (SST) theory to assess the influence of users’ social networks on their decision to use, choose and purchase a smartphone device. The study used a quantitative research method to analyse data. Data were collected from a sample of young adults aged between 15 and 35 years residing in Durban, South Africa. The study revealed that social networking sites influence users’ decision to use, choose, and purchase a smartphone device. The findings also revealed factors that are perceived as influential in the perceptions of users about their social networks and their interactions with users from the same social networks.

scholarly journals Validating an integrated decision-support framework for road transportation in Gauteng, South Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Greorg H. Backeberg
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Government Performance ◽  
South African Government ◽  
Road Transportation ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
The Public ◽  
Finance Management ◽  
Adequate Information ◽  
Decision Support Framework

The South African government has committed itself to creating “a better life for all”. Furthermore, government performance became important for the South African government with the introduction of the Public Finance Management Act. Backeberg (2005) uses systems thinking to propose a holistic transportation performance quantification framework to achieve the above. The purpose of this research is to validate the above framework by demonstrating its practicality and usefulness. This is done by populating the framework with representative transportation statistics from various sources. The study demonstrates how improvements could be prioritised if adequate information were to be available.

Social responsibility: The changing role of business in South Africa

1979 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 93-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. F. Wagenaar
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
South African ◽  
Business Community ◽  
Business Managers ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Changing Role

Business in South Africa is becoming increasingly involved in the solution of the social problems of the country, and business managers face growing demands concerning the corporate social responsibility of the private sector. The author investigated the nature and scope of corporate social responsibility in South Africa, considering both the viewpoint of business managers, and the expectations of the public. Both questionnaires and interviews were used in the investigation. The attitudes of managers and the expectations of society are set out in detail, and are then compared, showing that society is significantly more in favour of corporate social responsibility than the business community. There is, however, also a growing social awareness among South African business leaders.Sake-ondernemings in Suid-Afrika word toenemend betrek by die oplossing van die sosiale probleme van die land, en bestuurders is blootgestel aan toenemende eise wat betref die sosiale verantwoordelikheid van die private onderneming. Die skrywer het die aard en trefwydte van die sosiale verantwoordelikheid van Suid-Afrikaanse ondernemings ondersoek, met inagneming van sowel die standpunt van sakebestuurders as die verwagtings van die publiek. Vraelyste en personlike onderhoude is in die ondersoek gebruik. Die houdings van bestuurders en die verwagtings van die gemeenskap word volledig uiteengesit, en word dan vergelyk. Dit blyk dat die gemeenskap betekenisvol meer ten gunste is van sosiaal-verantwoordelike optrede deur ondernemings, as die sakelui. Daar is egter ook 'n groeiende bewustheid van sosiale verantwoordelikheid onder Suid-Afrikaanse sakeleiers.

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