scholarly journals Demanding Power: Struggles over Fuel Access in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atela, Martin Atela, Martin ◽  
Ojebode, Ayobami Ojebode, Ayobami ◽  
Aina, Omotade Aina, Omotade ◽  
Agbonifo, John Agbonifo, John
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Energy Access ◽  
Elite Capture ◽  
Power Struggles ◽  
Government Response ◽  
Weak Institutions ◽  
Multi Method Approach ◽  
The Government ◽  
Civic Space ◽  
Method Approach

Why do some fuel protests in Nigeria lead to a response from government, but others are barely noticed? What are the politics behind government response and who are the winners and losers? Using a multi-method approach, this study focuses on the period between 2007 and 2017 to investigate the dynamics of fuel protest in Nigeria to ask how, and under which conditions, struggles over energy access in Nigeria produce accountability and empowerment. The findings suggest that accountability and empowerment outcomes of the struggles over fuel access in Nigeria are severely limited by the very conditions that define the state as fragile: weak institutions, elite capture, widespread corruption, and a citizenry that is protest-fatigued and disempowered. This could be true of other fragile and conflict-affected settings. Therefore, frameworks that open up the civic space for dialogues between the government and citizens may produce better outcomes than protests.

Emotions and politics of sensibilities in Latin America

2021 ◽  
pp. 026858092199451
Author(s):  
Adrian Scribano
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Latin America ◽  
The State ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
The Social ◽  
Multi Method Approach ◽  
Method Approach

The social sciences in Latin America have always had a special connection with the study and analysis of the place of emotions in the social structuration processes. The aim of this article is to offer a synthetic exposition of some inquiries about emotions and the politics of sensibilities in Latin America, emphasizing those that are being felt in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this objective, first we offer a synthesis of the theoretical and methodological points that will guide the interpretation; then we draw on pre-existing inquiries and surveys which allow us to capture the state of sensibilities before and during the pandemic in the region; and finally some conclusions are presented. The work is based on a multi-method approach, where qualitative and quantitative secondary and primary data are articulated in tandem.

Beyond Proscription: Rethinking Government Response to ‘Yan Shilla’ Gang Violence in Yola Metropolis of Adamawa State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaheed Babajide Owonikoko ◽  
Jude. A. Momodu
Keyword(s):  
Good Governance ◽  
The State ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Gang Violence ◽  
Government Response ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Political Patronage ◽  
School Drop Out ◽  
The Government

Adamawa State in North-Eastern Nigeria has been battling with the Boko Haram crisis for over a decade. While the group is yet to be significantly decimated, a new gang known as Yan Shilla has emerged and continues to wreak serious havoc among the inhabitants of the state. Within a month of the emergence of a new political administration in the state in May 2019, the group was banned. This paper critically examines the implications of the proscription of the group, and general peace and security of the state. Using the theory of securitization, the paper argues that, although proscription of the group has heralded attention of security agents to the threat of the group, it does not constitute sustainable management of gang violence in the state. The root of the crises such as widespread poverty, decadence in education, and increase in school drop-out rates have fuelled the emergence of the criminal gangs in the state. Consequently, the paper recommends that the Nigerian government and the state in question should consider addressing the root causes of its myriad of security challenges by addressing widespread poverty, education, and unemployment among the youths. Similarly, the government should prioritize education through funding and also criminalize political patronage of these gangs by the politicians. Finally, it is also recommended that good governance should be entrenched in the political administration of the state.

scholarly journals Stating the obvious

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Spencer ◽  
Jo Hayden ◽  
Peter Murphy ◽  
Russ Glennon
Keyword(s):  
Independent Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fit For Purpose ◽  
Elite Interviews ◽  
Multi Method Approach ◽  
The Government ◽  
Current Guidance ◽  
National Framework ◽  
Method Approach ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the form, content and reporting arrangements of “statements of assurance” required from Fire and Rescue Authorities in England since their introduction in 2012 and identify potential improvements for future implementation. Design/methodology/approach A multi-method approach was adopted which commenced with an analysis of the current official guidance, an exploration of the accessibility and structure of the current statements produced; followed by a review of those statements through a desk based analysis complemented by a series of elite interviews. Findings The current guidance was found to be too broad and open to interpretation to be fit for purpose. This has led to some significant variations in reporting, limiting the statements’ usefulness to key users and stakeholders. Most authorities provided some form of report on their website but inconsistencies in respect of length, structure, name and content, limit their value. The research found that 30 per cent of authorities did not have an up to date statement available online. These findings were supported by the series of interviews. The result has led to confusion amongst authorities as to the statement’s role and the risk of it being perceived as a “box ticking” exercise rather than a real contribution to public assurance. Practical implications This paper provides potential lessons which could be adopted to inform future guidance in respect of the preparation and publication of the statement of assurance and its role within the wider public assurance regime for fire and rescue authorities. If adopted, these would improve the accountability, transparency and public assurance of Fire and Rescue Authorities which is a key objective of their governance arrangements. Originality/value The statement of assurance has only been a requirement of authorities since the current National Framework for Fire and Rescue was published in July 2012 and has not been subject to independent research since its inception. The government have recently issued a consultation on a new national framework, but this proposes changes to the statements of assurance. The findings will therefore be of value to the government, the fire and rescue sector and the recently appointed regulators for the service Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

A Culture of Poverty or the Poverty of a Culture? Informal Settlements and the Debate over the State-Society Relationship in Egypt

2004 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ninette Fahmy
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Officials ◽  
Government Response ◽  
State Response ◽  
The Government ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
Developmental Policies ◽  
The Relationship

Problems facing informal (“squatter”) settlements in Egypt have increasingly gained public exposure through both media coverage and scholarly debates. Whereas the state public discourse reflects a pretence for developing these areas, this paper, through the study of the relationship between the state and members living in three urban squatter areas, argues that government response towards squatters takes the following forms: negligence, demolition, relocation, and exploitation. Whereas demolition and relocation take place under exceptional conditions, negligence and exploitation are the most common forms of the state response towards the marginal sector. This exploitation serves the state's public officials in lining their own pockets and provides a rich source of votes for the state political apparatus, which guarantee the continuity of the regime. Thus, a culture characterised by its poverty is created among squatters where individual and personal interests attain precedence over communal interests, leading to more exploitation and corruption, which impedes the government developmental policies and programs, leading to a further weakening of the state.

scholarly journals Tax-funded digital government communication in Austria: Members of the government on Facebook

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-164
Author(s):  
Uta Russmann ◽  
Markus Hametner ◽  
Eduard Posch
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Digital Government ◽  
The Public ◽  
Government Communication ◽  
Quantitative Content ◽  
Multi Method Approach ◽  
The Government ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Method Approach

For a few years now, members of the government in Austria have been using Facebook to reach out to the public as well as to the mass media. Following normative guidelines and regulations, tax-funded government communication should be neutral, informative and autonomous of party politics. Using a multi-method approach, combining a structural analysis of formal criteria of Facebook accounts and an automated quantitative content analysis of Facebook postings, we investigated to what extent the official Facebook accounts of members of the last two Austrian governments were an exclusive tool for digital government communication. We found that not all representatives made use of Facebook. Moreover, tax-funded digital government communication on Facebook was not all neutral and autonomous of party politics. Based on our findings, we conclude that there is a lack of regulatory framework in Austria to govern tax-funded use of social media.

scholarly journals Source of Life or Kiss of Death: Revisiting State-Civil Society Dynamics in India during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Tandon ◽  
Ram Aravind
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
The State ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Economic Welfare ◽  
Subsequent Phase ◽  
The Government ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Civic Space

Abstract As COVID-19 spread through India, Civil Society Organizations (CSO)s mobilized resources to support the efforts of the Government by playing the role of an active partner in providing social and economic welfare to the affected population. This paper aims to provide a concise overview of the response of civil society to the pandemic situation at the grassroots and policy level. Further, the authors discuss the paradox in demonstrated efficiency and commitment of civil society, which follows a crackdown on civil society organizations by the state through silencing voices of dissent and regulating the shrinking civic space. The strained relationship between the government and civil society organizations in India is also examined against the backdrop of draconian legislation and policies framed during the time of COVID-19, proscribing debate, review or consultations. In the context of the pandemic and the subsequent phase of recovery, such actions of the Government will have deleterious effects on the relationship of trust between civil society and the state. Through this paper, the authors argue for a more tolerant and co-operative approach to the functions of civil society organizations by the Government, thus effectively reducing mistrust and suspicion in the intentions of the state.

Some aspects of the idea of unity V. Solovyov and the present

2000 ◽  
pp. 20-25
Author(s):  
O. O. Romanovsky
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
National Policy ◽  
The State ◽  
Place Of Residence ◽  
The Government ◽  
The University ◽  
Temporary Closure

In the second half of the nineteenth century, the nature of the national policy of Russia is significantly changing. After the events of 1863 in Poland (the Second Polish uprising), the government of Alexander II gradually abandoned the dominant idea of ​​anathematizing, whose essence is expressed in the domination of the principle of serving the state, the greatness of the empire. The tsar-reformer deliberately changes the policy of etatamism into the policy of state ethnocentrism. The manifestation of such a change is a ban on teaching in Polish (1869) and the temporary closure of the University of Warsaw. At the end of the 60s, the state's policy towards a five million Russian Jewry was radically revised. The process of abolition of restrictions on travel, education, place of residence initiated by Nicholas I, was provided reverse.

Russia in 2000-2004: Heading towards State Capitalism?

2004 ◽  
pp. 42-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Radygin
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Private Business ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
State Capitalism ◽  
The Government

The paper deals with one of the characteristic trends of the 2000s, that is, the government's property expansion. It is accompanied by attempts to consolidate economic structures controlled by the state and state-owned stock packages and unitary enterprises under the aegis of holdings. Besides the government practices selective severe enforcement actions against a number of the largest private companies, strengthens its control over companies with mixed capital and establishes certain informal procedures of relationships between private business and the state. The author examines the YUKOS case and the business community's actual capacity to protect its interests. One can argue that in all likelihood the trend to the 'state capitalism' in its specific Russian variant has become clearer over 2003-2004.

Transiting into Singaporean identity: Immigration and naturalisation policy

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathews Mathew ◽  
Debbie Soon
Keyword(s):  
Manpower Planning ◽  
The State ◽  
Comparative Perspective ◽  
Policy Discourse ◽  
Optimal Composition ◽  
Skilled Labour ◽  
Planning Policy ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Ideal

Debates in Singapore about immigration and naturalisation policy have escalated substantially since 2008 when the government allowed an unprecedentedly large number of immigrants into the country. This essay will discuss immigration and naturalisation policy in Singapore and the tensions that have been evoked, and how these policies are a key tool in regulating the optimal composition and size of the population for the state’s imperatives. It will demonstrate that although the state has, as part of its broader economic and manpower planning policy to import labour for economic objectives, it seeks to retain only skilled labour with an exclusive form of citizenship.  Even as the Singapore state has made its form of citizenship even more exclusive by reducing the benefits that non-citizens receive, its programmes for naturalising those who make the cut to become citizens which include the recently created Singapore Citizenship Journey (SCJ) is by no means burdensome from a comparative perspective. This paper examines policy discourse and the key symbols and narratives provided at naturalisation events and demonstrates how these are used to evoke the sense of the ideal citizen among new Singaporeans. 

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