scholarly journals Dangling in a Vacuum: A Presentation of Polish Think Tanks in Political Life

2020 ◽  
pp. 088832542094110
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Jezierska

This article belongs to the special cluster, “Think Tanks in Central and Eastern Europe”, guest-edited by Katarzyna Jezierska and Serena Giusti. This article explores the image and reputation of think tanks in their reciprocal relationship with their environment. The aim is to unravel the logic of think tanks’ institutional identity formation in the largely understudied context of Poland. How do Polish think tanks present themselves and how are they (re)presented by others? To answer these questions, the Goffmanian microsociological framework and positioning theory are adjusted to a study of institutions. The analysis of original interview and media data reveals that Polish think tanks project an image of and are perceived by the media as being weak. I argue that this image and reputation of weakness should primarily be explained by think tanks’ and the media’s perceptions of the political field, which confine the possible identity and positioning of think tanks.

2020 ◽  
pp. 088832542093779
Author(s):  
Maria Bigday

This article belongs to the special cluster, “Think Tanks in Central and Eastern Europe”, guest-edited by Katarzyna Jezierska and Serena Giusti. The article looks at think tanks through the prism of a specific social space whose emergence is ascribable to both transnational processes and local social structures. Four processes are identified as shaping the institutionalization of the first think tanks in Belarus, founded as a tool for the “desovietization” of science and “democratization” of politics in the early 1990s: (1) the destabilization of relations between science and politics spurred by the Soviet perestroika beginning in 1986; (2) the autonomization of national elites and a political field in Belarus following the collapse of the Soviet Union; (3) the transformation of the labor market, including the crisis of state-supported research and academia, which ejected a large number of well-educated professionals; and (4) the intensification of transnational exchanges and the legitimization of references to Western practices. To systematically analyze these processes, a model consisting of the following four dimensions is proposed: configuration of relations between science and politics, position of the think tank space in the field of power, professional logics of career or competition, and transnational diffusion of resources and their local appropriation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Thompson

In The Media and Modernity, Thompson develops an interactional theory of communication media that distinguishes between three basic types of interaction: face-to-face interaction, mediated interaction, and mediated quasi-interaction. In the light of the digital revolution and the growth of the internet, this paper introduces a fourth type: mediated online interaction. Drawing on Goffman’s distinction between front regions and back regions, Thompson shows how mediated quasi-interaction and mediated online interaction create new opportunities for the leakage of information and symbolic content from back regions into front regions, with consequences that can be embarrassing, damaging and, on occasion, hugely disruptive. The growing role of mediated quasi-interaction and mediated online interaction has reconstituted the political field so that political life now unfolds in an information environment that is much more difficult to control, creating a permanently unstable arena in which leaks, revelations and disclosures are always capable of disrupting the most well-laid plans.


Author(s):  
Tatiana Carayannis ◽  
Thomas G. Weiss

This book is about the Third UN: the ecology of supportive non-state actors—intellectuals, scholars, consultants, think tanks, NGOs, the for-profit private sector, and the media—that interacts with the intergovernmental machinery of the First UN (member states) and the Second UN (staff members of international secretariats) to formulate and refine ideas and decision-making at key junctures in policy processes. Some advocate for particular ideas, others help analyze or operationalize their testing and implementation; many thus help the UN “think.” While think tanks, knowledge brokers, and epistemic communities are phenomena that have entered both the academic and policy lexicons, their intellectual role remains marginal to analyses of such intergovernmental organizations as the United Nations. The Third UN in this volume connotes those working toward knowledge and normative advances for the realization of the values underlying the UN Charter; the book does not discuss armed belligerents and criminals, the main focus of previous analyses of non-state actors and the UN system.


Author(s):  
Stuti Bhatnagar

The role of think tanks as policy actors has developed over time and created significant global scholarship. Widely understood as non-state policy actors, think tanks established either with or without the support of government have evolved in various political contexts with varied characteristics. They are avenues for the discussion of new policy ideas as well as used for the consolidation of existing understandings of global and national political issues. As ideational actors think tanks interact with policy frameworks at different levels, either in the framing stage or at the stage of consensus building towards certain policies. Intellectual elites at think tanks allow for the introduction of think tank ideas into the policy frames as well as the creation of public opinion towards foreign policy decisions. Think tank deliberations involve an interaction with policymakers, academic experts, business and social actors, as well as the media to disseminate ideas. Institutionally, think tanks in a wide variety of political contexts play a critical role in the making of foreign policy and bring closer attention to processes of state–society interactions in different political environments.


2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie Goode

This paper examines the institutional identity formation of contract research staff in the context of the Taylorisation of research knowledges. The author has been a contract researcher for many years, after initially training and practising as a Probation Officer. She makes links between her social work training, and her current practice as a qualitative researcher. Drawing on her experience of working on a variety of different projects, at a number of different institutions, and providing illustrative examples from projects in sociology, social policy, health, and education, she reflects on the implications of the current social organization of academic research both for professional research practice and for researcher identity. There is a paradox in the way that contract research staff accrue a wealth of experience of how research is organised and conducted in different contexts, a repertoire of skills, and a vast volume of various kinds of ‘data’, whilst remaining vulnerable and marginalized figures within the academy, with few opportunities for professional development and advancement. She outlines a number of strategies she has employed in the preservation of the ‘research self’, and concludes by suggesting that the academy has much to learn about the effective management of ‘waste’, as embodied by researchers’ selves and their data, consequent upon the Taylorisation of research work.


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-529
Author(s):  
Fernando Ormonde Teixeira ◽  
Ingrid Christyne Luquett de Oliveira ◽  
Pedro Costa Ferreira

Abstract This paper investigates what are the main components of consumer's inflation expectations. We combine the FGV's Consumer Survey with the indices of inflation (IPCA and government regulated prices), professional forecasts disclosed in the Focus report, and media data which we crawl from one of the biggest and most important Brazilian newspapers, Folha de São Paulo, to determine what factors are responsible for and improve consumer's forecast accuracy. We found gender, age and city of residence as major elements when analyzing micro-data. Aggregate data shows the past inflation as an important trigger in the formation of consumers' expectations and professional forecasts as negligible. Moreover, the media plays a significant role, accounting not only for the expectations' formation but for a better understanding of actual inflation as well.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-60
Author(s):  
Yeni Hendayani ◽  
Heri Yusuf Muslihin ◽  
Taopik Rahman

ABSTRACTThis research is motivated by difficulties in fine motor skills, problems that occur in group A in Kindergarten IP Assalaam Tasikmalaya City, there are still many children who are less in fine motor development especially in motion skills of both hands, fingers and skill to coordinate the speed or dexterity of hands with eye movements. This is suspected because the learning in the classroom is still monotonous and the teacher still has not used the media, especially for the fine motor development. The purpose of this research is improve the fine motor skills of children through Balok Bergambar media in group A age 4-5 year in kindergarten IP Assalaam City Tasikmalaya. Classroom Action Research (PTK) conducted in collaboration with teachers, implemented 3 cycles using the Kemmis and MC Taggart Model. The subjects of the research were children of A kindergarten IP Assalaam Tasikmalaya City group consisting of 18 people, as many as eight male and 10 female and one teacher as a partner teacher. The object of research is the fine motor ability of the child through Balok Bergambar media. Data collection techniques used observation and documentation, while data analysis techniques using descriptive qualitative. Each cycle consisting of four and stages: planning, implementation stage, observation stage, and reflection stage. The results of the research have shown that the use of Balok Bergambar media can improve the fine motor ability of the child. This is evidenced by the increase in the ability of teachers in planning daily learning, the ability of teachers in the process of implementation of learning by using Balok Bergambar media and the ability to fine motor children aged 4-5 years from each cycle. Can be concluded the Balok Bergambar media can improve the fine motor ability of children aged 4-5 years in kindergarten IP Assalaam Tasikmalaya City. ABSTRAKPenelitian ini dilatarbelakangi adanya kesulitan dalam kemampuan motorik halus, permasalahan yang terjadi pada kelompok A di TK IP Assalaam Kota Tasikmalaya, masih banyak anak yang kurang dalam perkembangan motorik halusnya khususnya dalam keterampilan gerak kedua tangan, keterampilan jari jemari dan keterampilan mengkoordinasikan kecepatan atau kecekatan tangan dengan gerakan mata. Hal ini diduga disebabkan karena pembelajaran di kelas masih monoton dan guru masih belum menggunakan media, khususnya untuk perkembangan motorik halusnya. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk meningkatkan kemampuan motorik halus anak melalui media balok bergambar pada kelompok A usia 4-5 tahun di TKIP Assalaam Kota Tasikmalaya. Penelitian Tindakan Kelas (PTK) yang dilakukan bekerjasama dengan guru, dilaksanakan sebanyak 3 siklus dengan menggunakan model Kemmis dan Mc. Taggart. Subjek penelitian adalah anak kelompok A TKIP Assalaam Kota Tasikmalaya yang terdiri dari 18 orang yaitu sebanyak  delapan orang laki-laki dan 10 orang perempuan dan  satu orang guru sebagai guru mitra.  Objek penelitian adalah kemampuan motorik halus anak melalui media balok bergambar. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan observasi dan dokmentasi, sedangkan teknik analisis data menggunakan deskriptif  kualitatif. Setiap siklus terdiri dari empat tahap yaitu perencanaan, tahap pelaksanaan, tahap observasi, dan tahap refleksi. Hasil penelitian yang telah dilaksanakan menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan media balok bergambar dapat meningkatkan kemampuan motorik halus anak. Hal ini dibuktikan dengan adanya peningkatan kemampuan guru dalam  merencanakan pembelajaran harian, kemampuan guru dalam proses pelaksanaan pembelajaran dengan menggunakan media balok bergambar dan kemampuan motork halus anak usia 4-5 tahun dari setiap siklusnya. Maka dapat disimpulkan media balok bergambar dapat meningkatkan kemampuan motorik halus anak usia 4-5 tahun di TKIP Assalaam Kota Tasikmalaya.


2021 ◽  
pp. 90-105
Author(s):  
Serhiy Danylenko ◽  

The article aims to outline the transformation in the functioning of modern democracy as a form of government, to explore the influence of modern media on the mechanisms of its implementation. The issue is raised about the preservation of its fundamental principles during the information revolution (primarily in the media sphere) and changes in the forms and methods of communication of people during political interaction. The model of „monitoring democracy” was chosen as the theoretical and conceptual basis for considering these processes, which is based on the „idea of a monitoring citizen” and which is caused by rapid growth of various extra-parliamentary (non-representative) mechanisms of government. Among them, the most important for us is the rapid development of media instruments, namely social networks. The imperative of elections, political parties and parliamentary life, typical for representative democracy over the last two centuries of the history of civilization, is now far behind the capacity of other actors of public life to influence the political decisions of citizens. The author also points to the fact that technology companies, which have concentrated both information − microtargeting supply of information based on psychological profiling, and business activities, demonstrate a new phenomenon, which is assessed by citizens as the most competent and ethical center of gravity and trust. At the same time, governments, independent public institutions and traditional media are perceived as less effective and ethical. Such a concentration of information and corporate influence in one actor (a small group of technology companies) is a new challenge for democracy. Respectively, basic principles that ensure its functioning as the most successful form of government, namely − election and control of power, protection of human rights, participation of citizens in political life and governance, rule of law and accountability of government agencies, prevention of usurpation of power – nowadays experience theoretical rethinking, and are embodied in new political practices. In addition, they (foundations of democracy) are torpedoed by negative phenomena of the period of transformation and political turbulence, among which populism in all its manifestations is the most threatening. Key words: representative democracy, monitoring democracy, mediacracy, constructive journalism, civil communication, social networks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-84
Author(s):  
Zhivko Rachev

The paper analyzes the behavior of society in a crisis and social distance and the increased influence of the media. Data on the level of training of teachers, students and parents related to media and information literacy are presented. The degree of forced media literacy in crisis conditions is measured. Models and methods of distance and media learning within the European Union are compared. In conclusion, examples are given of media connections and media literacy in the absence of a social environment and live communication among children and students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Author(s):  
Khurshid A. Mirzakhmedov ◽  

In the article, the authors are based on the verdict that the main and most important element of world religion is the phenomenon of the prophets. However, at the beginning of the New century as a world. Similarly, in regional terms, the media reports about false prophets and insults to religious prophets, including the great prophet Muhammad, which negatively affects the feelings of believers in the Muslim world. According to the authors of the article, this seriously depresses the international political situation, since the cult of the Holy prophets is recognized as the meaning-forming basis of the Muslim faith. The article proves that the goal of Islam in the formation and development of the socio-cultural life of Muslims is based on the strengthening of spiritual and cultural identity, based on the priority of recognizing the Majesty of the prophet Muhammad, that any skepticism or insults is a threat to the entire system of Islam's ideology. The authors note that the life of the great Muhammad is generally accepted as an example of the righteous organization of the personal and collective life of the Muslim community, which forms the highest qualities of spiritual and moral culture among believers.


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