The Next ‘Spring’ is Certain to Come – and Certain to be Missed

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 382-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Witold Mucha
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
The Political ◽  
International Crisis ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
To Come ◽  
International Crisis Group ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
The Impact

The Arab Spring took policymakers and academics by surprise. The starting point, the scope, nor the impact had been seen coming. This was primarily because of academics’ irrevocable belief in the stabilising power of authoritarian regimes. In light of this failing, the article will critically discuss the production of crisis knowledge on the basis of four major early warning tools. These are World Bank’s greed/grievance model, the predictive model by the Political Instability Task Force, the risk and capacity approach applied by the Failed States Index, and the International Crisis Group. The article will add to the debate in two ways. First, the analysis will show that prevention research can be biased in ways that crucially influence policymakers’ assessment of states at risk. Second, the article will argue in favour of a complementary perspective that includes the analysis of conflicts that do not erupt into large-scale violence against all odds (so-called ‘negative cases’).

scholarly journals Islamister i åpnere landskap: Hvilken rolle i det nye Midtøsten?

Politik ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjørn Olav Utvik
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
The Political ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Arab Spring

The political successes of Islamists following the Arab uprisings of 2011 makes understanding Islamism more important than ever. ey have long been central to oppositional politics in the Arab world. Now they may well become a dominant factor in the emerging new regimes. A necessary starting point is to recognise that the Islamists played a pivotal role in the Arab spring from the start. Furthermore, to grasp the possible ways in which the Islamists may in uence developments to come, research must turn away from essentialising their Islamic ideology and discover the contradictory impulses driving these complex and dynamic social movements. 

scholarly journals Setting-up a European Cross-Provider Data Collection on Open Online Courses

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Kalz ◽  
Karel Kreijns ◽  
Jaap Walhout ◽  
Jonatan Castaño-Munoz ◽  
Anna Espasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Outcome Expectations ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact

<p class="BODYTEXT">While MOOCS have emerged as a new form of open online education around the world, research is stilling lagging behind to come up with a sound theoretical basis that can cover the impact of socio-economic background variables, ICT competences, prior experiences and lifelong learning profile, variance in intentions, environmental influences, outcome expectations, learning experience and economic return on taking and completing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The potential diversity of participants of MOOCs has been taken as a starting point to develop a theoretical model and survey instrument with the goal to establish a large-scale, cross-provider data collection of participants of (European) MOOCs. This article provides and overview of the theoretical model begin the project and reflects about first experiences with the cross-provider data collection.</p>

scholarly journals Measuring and assessing the impact of using volunteers in UK libraries: issues and methods

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Broady-Preston
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Third Sector Organisations ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine a range of issues and methods in relation to measuring the impact of volunteer labour on the design and delivery of all types of library services. With the increasing use of volunteers to deliver library and information services in all sectors, managers need to assess their effectiveness and evaluate the impact of their use in relation to operational service design and delivery, and on the development of the profession and professional practice as a whole. Presented here is an initial scoping study, outlining a range of issues, methods and challenges for more detailed future investigation. Design/methodology/approach – A number of methodological challenges and perspectives are identifiable. Contemporary libraries exhibit increasing similarities with Third Sector organisations, namely a complex stakeholder community, and increasing use of volunteers to supplement or replace services delivered by professional staff. Therefore, a starting point for the research is a systematic review and analysis of the methodologies developed by the Third Sector Research Centre, and those studies in the ESRC contemporary Developing Impact Evaluation strand. As a rich picture is required, both quantitative and qualitative approaches are necessary, with the overall study adopting a mixed methods approach. Findings – This paper reports the findings of the preliminary documentary analysis, literature review and scoping aspects of a large-scale study. Originality/value – Research undertaken to date (June 2014) has failed to identify any published systematic review and examination of these issues.

scholarly journals Methylmercury Impact on Adult Neurogenesis: Is the Worst Yet to Come From Recent Brazilian Environmental Disasters?

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramon da Silva Raposo ◽  
Daniel Vieira Pinto ◽  
Ricardo Moreira ◽  
Ronaldo Pereira Dias ◽  
Carlos Alberto Fontes Ribeiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Neurogenic Niche ◽  
Environmental Disasters ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact

Worldwide environmental tragedies of anthropogenic origin causing massive release of metals and other pollutants have been increasing considerably. These pollution outbreaks affect the ecosystems and impact human health. Among those tragedies, recent large-scale environmental disasters in Brazil strongly affected riverside populations, leading to high-risk exposure to methylmercury (MeHg). MeHg is highly neurotoxic to the developing brain. This toxicant causes neural stem cell dysfunction and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. However, less is known about the effects of MeHg in the postnatal neurogenic niche, which harbors neural stem cells and their progeny, in the adult brain. Therefore, taking in consideration the impact of MeHg in human health it is urgent to clarify possible associations between exposure to mercury, accelerated cognitive decline, and neurodegenerative diseases. In this perspectives paper, we discuss the neurotoxic mechanisms of MeHg on postnatal neurogenesis and the putative implications associated with accelerated brain aging and early-onset cognitive decline in populations highly exposed to this environmental neurotoxicant.

The Role of the “Outsider” in Quasi-Legislative Systems: The Potential Utility of a Legislative Model

1973 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Volgy
Keyword(s):  
International Organizations ◽  
Voting Behavior ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
The Political ◽  
Potential Utility ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
To Come ◽  
Legislative Model ◽  
The Impact

As periodic stock–taking efforts would indicate,1students of international organizations have become increasingly sophisticated in the methods and techniques used for assessing the dynamics of international efforts at cooperation, and the impact of these efforts on the general stream of international politics. Nowhere has this been more true than in attempts by scholars to come to grips with the political processes acted out in the General Assembly of the United Nations. To para–phrase Keohane,2we have come to witness a change of focus from a somewhat static description of structures, rules and regulations, to analyses of patterns of voting behavior (and correlates thereof) to, finally, systematic analyses of patterns of interactions leading to votes and resolutions.

Chinese Archaeology since 1949

1977 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 623-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. C. Chang
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Limited Resource ◽  
The Political ◽  
Unique Combination ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
New Materials ◽  
Chinese Archaeology ◽  
The People ◽  
New Material ◽  
To Come

The second half of the twentieth century may be remembered by Chinese archaeologists as the Golden Age of their discipline. A unique combination of factors and circumstances has produced, and will probably continue to produce for a time, enormous amounts of new material for the study of Chinese prehistory and history. These factors and circumstances include a deep-rooted interest of the Chinese people in their past, not only for its own sake but also for guidance, as lesson; the introduction, in the first half of the century, of Western archaeological science; systematic, large-scale, and sustained national projects to construct roads, canals, reservoirs, and buildings throughout China; and a conscious and conscientious effort to include archaeology as an important part of the political education of the people. This sudden flood of new data—most hitherto unknown, and many unexpected and almost unimaginable—provides unprecedented opportunities for gaining new and much richer knowledge of China's past. China scholars will be busy coping with the new materials for decades to come. They should count themselves extremely lucky, for such opportunities are not likely to arise again after the present century; archaeological relics are a limited resource, even in China.

Maltese ruling party may survive murder scandal

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
The Political ◽  
Government Contracts ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Content Type ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Business Confidence ◽  
To Come ◽  
Ruling Party

Significance The investigation into the assassination of prominent journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has taken a dramatic turn with the interrogation of senior Maltese government officials, the arraignment of a prominent business tycoon and the prime minister’s announcement that he will resign in January. Impacts Investigation of Caruana Galizia’s murder and large-scale corruption on government contracts will continue apace with unpredictable results. State institutions’ independence and government corruption will remain in the international spotlight. Malta will continue to come under significant scrutiny in EU institutions. Investigations into lucrative government contracts signed under the Labour administration will gain momentum and others may be opened. The political crisis will prove detrimental to business confidence.

Spontaneous Collective Action: Peripheral Mobilization During the Arab Spring

2017 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZACHARY C. STEINERT-THRELKELD
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Information Diffusion ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Core ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Models Of Disease ◽  
The Arab Spring

Who is responsible for protest mobilization? Models of disease and information diffusion suggest that those central to a social network (the core) should have a greater ability to mobilize others than those who are less well-connected. To the contrary, this article argues that those not central to a network (the periphery) can generate collective action, especially in the context of large-scale protests in authoritarian regimes. To show that those in the core of a social network have no effect on levels of protest, this article develops a dataset of daily protests across 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa over 14 months from 2010 through 2011. It combines that dataset with geocoded, individual-level communication from the same period and measures the number of connections of each person. Those on the periphery are shown to be responsible for changing levels of protest, with some evidence suggesting that the core’s mobilization efforts lead to fewer protests. These results have implications for a wide range of social choices that rely on interdependent decision making.

scholarly journals “Being fat is not a disease but a sign of good living”: The Political Economy of Overweight and Obesity in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-114
Author(s):  
Tolulope Osayomi
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
The Political ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Good Living ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

Increasing overweight and obesity rates have accompanied economic development in recent years. This twofold health issue has become increasingly worrisome and is currently receiving academic interest and government attention.  A growing volume of studies has examined the demographic, socio economic, environmental and cultural risk factors of overweight and obesity in Nigeria where fatness is culturally revered. However, information on large scale factors associated with economic development shaping the geographical distribution of overweight and obesity is sparse. From the political economic standpoint, the central question of this paper is: ‘Does the spatial pattern of overweight and obesity correspond with the varying levels of economic development in Nigeria? The study relied on secondary data from published sources.  Linear regression models were estimated to determine the impact of economic development variables on overweight and obesity. Results reveal that percent population with white collar jobs had a significant positive effect on overweight whereas poverty, gross domestic product (GDP) and degree of urbanization were significantly related to obesity. The paper concludes that the spatial patterns of overweight and obesity follow the pathways of economic development in Nigeria.

A User-Centric Approach in E-Government Policies

2010 ◽  
pp. 20-36
Author(s):  
Pieter Verdegem ◽  
Laurence Hauttekeete
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Theoretical Discussion ◽  
The Public ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Electronic Service ◽  
User Centric ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Theoretical Considerations

E-government is given a central role in the modernization debate of the public sector. Despite large-scale investments the electronic public services do not (yet) seem to come up to the promising expectations. As a result, consensus seems to exist that e-government policies require a rethinking. In this chapter the origins and objectives of the electronic service delivery are discussed. The authors state that the development of e-government suffers from deterministic conceptions. Consequently, the user seems to be neglected and minor attention is given to the impact of the electronic services on the customer. As a contribution to the theoretical discussion of e-government, the authors explain why a two-fold paradigm shift is needed. The user-oriented rethinking comprises both the development of e-government services as the evaluation of its policies. At the end of this chapter, the theoretical considerations are linked to daily-based activities by presenting briefly some Belgian e-government practices.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document