scholarly journals Issue dimensionality and party competition in turbulent times

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Rovny ◽  
Stephen Whitefield
Keyword(s):  
Political Competition ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Turbulent Times ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Broad Framework ◽  
Ideological Structure

We start from the premise that the content of political competition is regularly remade by shifting contexts and by the strategic activity of political actors including parties. But while there are naturally thousands of potential issues on which politics can be contested, there are in practice and for good reasons ways in which structure and limits come to reduce the competition to more cognitively manageable and regularized divisions—in short, to issue dimensions. It is highly timely to return to these questions since, we argue, the social, political, and economic turbulence of recent years raises the possibility that the ideological structure of how parties present themselves to voters may be radically shifting. The papers in this special issue, therefore, each tackle an important aspect of the shifting character of the issues that underlie party competition in various European settings. In this article, we provide an overview of the relevant “state of the art” on issue dimensionality and how the subject is situated within the broad framework of understanding party competition.

scholarly journals Global Health with Justice: Controlling the Floodgates of the Upstream Determinants of Health through Evidence-Based Law

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-9
Author(s):  
John Coggon ◽  
Lawrence O Gostin
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
The Social ◽  
Georgetown University ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Upstream Determinants

Abstract This article introduces a special issue on the legal determinants of health, following the publication of the Lancet–O’Neill Institute of Georgetown University Commission’s report on the subject. We contextualize legal determinants as a significant and vital aspect of the social determinants of health, explain the work of the Lancet–O’Neill Commission and outline where consequent research will usefully be directed. We also introduce the papers that follow in the special issue, which together set out in greater detail the work of the Commission and critically engage with different aspects of the report and the application of its findings and recommendations.

scholarly journals SOCIAL MEDIA AND KOSOVO’S POLITICAL ACTORS

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-196
Author(s):  
Ilire Zajmi
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Mass Communication ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Political Competition ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The Social

Social media are changing the nature of mass communication, demediating traditional media. They are being used as powerful platforms for the distribution and dissemination of information, activities, promotion of institutions, certain groups of interest of individuals, but also political actors for different purposes.Placing and disseminating information through the opportunities offered by social media enables the mobilization of a wider audience in new ways and ways. Politicians are exploiting these opportunities provided by social networks, without having to put information through journalists or traditional media. There are two theories in the literature regarding the use of social networks, optimistic and pessimistic theory. According to optimistic theory, social networks provide opportunities to compete for power. Theorists of this theory of using social media think that in the digital age, we are witnessing the transformation of information and the audience that uses them. According to them, the global success of social media has made it possible for everyone to connect directly to his audience through the platforms offered. With the use of these platforms, politicians gain attention and at the same time build a symmetrical or asymmetric relationship with their followers.Pessimistic theory, however, blames the social media for the use of false promise, and a pseudo-modernization of modern society. Studies believe that involvement in social networks and political actors at the same time implies a greater engagement of the audience that absorbs the information disclosed and affects the democratization of political competition. This paper aims to analyze the use of social networks as a means of information dissemination by Kosovar political actors and the content of the information being disclosed.The paper analyzes the posts of three key Kosovar politicians, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, President Hashim Thaçi and Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli in their profiles on Facebook and Twitter social networks during a one-month monitoring period during May 2019

Afterword: Struck Dumb? Marilyn Strathern and Social Science

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 283-288
Author(s):  
Nigel Thrift
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Theory Theory ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
The Social ◽  
Knowledge Theory ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Spatial View

Marilyn Strathern has produced a remarkable body of work that not only demonstrates range and tenacity but also has produced a host of inspirations that have made their way into the world. This Afterword to the special issue ‘Social Theory After Strathern’ dwells on the subject of the modesty of what Strathern is proposing and how it relates to space, noting that her work enables us to forge new practico-theoretical combinations and works of diplomacy between incompatibles which show up the limitations of each party even as they forge new understandings – an approach that chimes with a move towards a more spatial view of knowledge. Theory, to echo Strathern’s gardening metaphor, needs to leave room not just to prune but to grow, the two being inter-related, as she points out. This Afterword also proposes that the extraordinary ability of anthropology to be inside and outside at once might serve as a model for what the social sciences need to become if they are to stay relevant in a world which cannot be reduced to a cipher for theory but still needs to learn from theory – theory which is precarious but spreadable, theory which establishes a rapport, but a rapport with friction built into it.

scholarly journals Qualitative Longitudinal Research: From Monochrome to Technicolour

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Morag C. Treanor ◽  
Ruth Patrick ◽  
Aniela Wenham
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Socioeconomic Disadvantage ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Policy Engagement ◽  
Distinct Approach

Qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) has grown in prominence and popularity since the 2007 themed section on the subject in this journal. This new themed section reflects on how QLR has been mobilised and made sense of in recent times. This article showcases QLR’s distinctive way of knowing and understanding the social world and how it can illuminate the processes through which policy can enhance, or indeed inhibit, the well-being of individuals and groups within society. This state of the art article focuses on QLR as a valuable but tricky approach. It argues that QLR can enhance qualitative research in social policy by fostering sustained policy engagement and development, and that this is especially useful for policy-making in relation to socioeconomic disadvantage. It also explores cross-cutting methodological dimensions pertinent to QLR’s distinct approach, such as its enhanced ethical considerations, which are also integral to research with people at high risk of socioeconomic disadvantage. The article concludes with possible future directions and developments for QLR as a methodology.

scholarly journals Features of the Implementation of Decommunization Policy of the Symbolic Space in Local Macrocommunities of Ukraine

2021 ◽  
pp. 207-232
Author(s):  
Nataliya Rotar
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Political Competition ◽  
Local History ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Symbolic Space ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Symbolic Structure ◽  
The Right

The article analyzes the practices of local self-government in Ukraine in the field of decommunization of urban spaces in Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Dnieper. The peculiarities of the implementation of the policy of de-communization of the symbolic space indicate that since 2015, at the level of local macrocommunities, they have become public arenas of interpretations of the past. Their memorial symbolic structure reflects the competition between political actors representing competing commemorative orders. Local self-government practices have acquired their expressive specificity in each of the local macrocommunities. In particular, in Kiev, the policy of local self-government bodies is designated by us as “political”, which is associated with its status as the capital of Ukraine. It was this status that subordinated the symbolic space of local history and the retrospective reverse to historical names. Local authorities in Odessa and Kharkov carried out decommunization with the involvement, in addition to the political, pragmatic (Kharkov) and historical (Odessa) practices of renaming toponyms. Historical practice has become the core of the practice of decommunization of the symbolic space of the Dnieper. At the same time, local governments in all four cities of Ukraine were subjects of political competition (“symbolic struggle”) for the right to form and approve the idea of the legitimate order of the city's symbolic space. By referring to Ukraine's policy in the field of decommunization as one that has elements of symbolic violence, local governments fueled the social tension that accompanied the implementation of this policy.

scholarly journals What is the ‘public’ in public education? Mapping past, present and future educational imaginaries of Europe and beyond

2022 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Matthew Clarke ◽  
Martin Mills ◽  
Nicole Mockler ◽  
Parlo Singh
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Far Right ◽  
School Closures ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Turbulent Times ◽  
Doing School ◽  
Political Turmoil

This special issue explores past, present and potential future imaginaries of ‘public’ education in Europe and beyond. The special issue is located in a contemporary context of political turmoil, in which one in four European voters allegedly supports populist political parties, with the largest support for far-right forms of populism; it is also set against a historical background of several decades of significant change in the social, political and economic contexts of education, whereby schools and universities have been reimagined and reorganized so as to conform to the marketized and managerialist contours of the neoliberal imaginary; and it is set against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to lockdowns and school closures in many countries and prompted many to question supposedly ‘normal’ ways of doing school and education in less turbulent times. For all these reasons, the special issue is topical and timely.

scholarly journals In search of relevance: European political scientists and the public sphere in critical times

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Real-Dato ◽  
Luca Verzichelli
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Social Relevance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Legitimacy ◽  
Introductory Article ◽  
The Social ◽  
Turbulent Times ◽  
The Public Sphere

AbstractSocial relevance has become a key element to assess the social legitimacy of an academic discipline. This contrasts with a widespread sentiment among political scientists about the existence of a relevance gap. The context of multiple crises Europe has experienced since the late 2000s has provided political scientists with a multitude of opportunities to demonstrate the social relevance of their work and the usefulness of the discipline. This introductory article to the special issue aims to offer an explorative framework and a preliminary discussion of empirical examples to assess the phenomenon of political scientists’ relevance in the public sphere during recent turbulent times. The framework (which emphasises three basic dimensions of social relevance – partisanship, visibility, and impact) is used to interpret the main results of the five case studies included in the special issue. Results show that contextual factors (salience of the issue, political and media contexts) influence political scientists’ engagement in the public sphere, the role they adopt and their visibility. The article ends emphasising the importance of collective action within the discipline as an instrument to enhance its social relevance.

scholarly journals Shallow seismic reflection section—Introduction

Geophysics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1210-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don W. Steeples
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Case Histories ◽  
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory ◽  
Shallow Seismic ◽  
Published Report ◽  
The Subject ◽  
To Come

For those interested in shallow seismic reflection (SSR) techniques, this special issue of Geophysics is likely to serve as a useful reference for years to come. The idea for this issue grew out of discussions that took place at the Shallow Seismic Reflection Workshop at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, California, in September 1996. The content of those discussions is the subject of a published report elsewhere (Steeples et al., 1997). Several workshop participants and their colleagues contributed to the papers in this issue as authors and as reviewers. The articles include case histories, novel uses of the SSR technique, state‐of‐the‐art planning considerations for 3-D SSR surveys, and some examples of problems unique to SSR surveying.

Artificial Intelligence in Government: Taking Stock and Moving Forward

2021 ◽  
pp. 089443932110340
Author(s):  
Rony Medaglia ◽  
J. Ramon Gil-Garcia ◽  
Theresa A. Pardo
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Data Governance ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in government is receiving increasing attention from global research and practice communities. This article, introducing a Special Issue on Artificial Intelligence in Government published in the Social Science Computer Review, presents an overview of some of the main policy initiatives across the world in relation to AI in government and discusses the state of the art of existing research. Based on an analysis of current trends in research and practice, we highlight four areas to be the focus of future research on AI in government: governance of AI, trustworthy AI, impact assessment methodologies, and data governance.

Fakir Baykurt’un Almanya öykülerinde Türk göçmen çocukları

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-28
Author(s):  
Efnan Dervişoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Home Life ◽  
Literary Forms ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Life Education

Almanya’ya işçi göçü, neden ve sonuçları, sosyal boyutlarıyla ele alınmış; göç ve devamındaki süreçte yaşanan sorunlar, konunun uzmanlarınca dile getirilmiştir. Fakir Baykurt’un Almanya öyküleri, sunduğu gerçekler açısından, sosyal bilimlerin ortaya koyduğu verilerle bağdaşan edebiyat ürünleri arasındadır. Yirmi yılını geçirdiği Almanya’da, göçmen işçilerle ve aileleriyle birlikte olup işçi çocuklarının eğitimine yönelik çalışmalarda bulunan yazarın gözlem ve deneyimlerinin ürünü olan bu öyküler, kaynağını yaşanmışlıktan alır; çalışmanın ilk kısmında, Fakir Baykurt’un yaşamına ve Almanya yıllarına dair bilgi verilmesi, bununla ilişkilidir. Öykülere yansıyan çocuk yaşamı ise çalışmanın asıl konusunu oluşturmaktadır. “Ev ve aile yaşamı”, “Eğitim yaşamı ve sorunları”, “Sosyal çevre, arkadaşlık ilişkileri ve Türk-Alman ayrılığı” ile “İki kültür arasında” alt başlıklarında, Türkiye’den göç eden işçi ailelerinde yetişen çocukların Almanya’daki yaşamları, karşılaştıkları sorunlar, öykülerin sunduğu veriler ışığında değerlendirilmiş; örneklemeye gidilmiştir. Bu öyküler, edebiyatın toplumsal gerçekleri en iyi yansıtan sanat olduğu görüşünü doğrular niteliktedir ve sosyolojik değerlendirmelere açıktır. ENGLISH ABSTRACTMigration and Children in Fakir Baykurt’s stories from GermanyThe migration of workers to Germany has been taken up with its causes, consequences and social dimensions; the migration and the problems encountered in subsequent phases have been stated by experts in the subject. Fakir Baykurt’s stories from Germany, regarding the reality they represent, are among the literary forms that coincide with the facts supplied by social sciences. These stories take their sources from true life experiences as the products of observations and experiences with migrant workers and their families in Germany where the writer has passed twenty years of his life and worked for the education of the worker’s children; therefore information related to Fakir Baykurt’s life and his years in Germany are provided in the first part of the study.  The life of children reflected in the stories constitutes the main theme of the study.  Under  the subtitles of “Family and Home Life”, “Education Life and related issues”, “Social environment, friendships and Turkish-German disparity” and “Amidst two cultures”, the lives in Germany of children who have been  raised in working class  families and  who have immigrated from Turkey are  evaluated under the light of facts provided by the stories and examples are given. These stories appear to confirm that literature is an art that reflects the social reality and is open to sociological assessments.KEYWORDS: Fakir Baykurt; Germany; labor migration; child; story

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