Governance Relations in Small Nations: Competition vs. Cooperation and the Triple Role of Big Cities

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itai Beeri ◽  
Magnús Árni Skjöld Magnússon
Keyword(s):  
Local Governance ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Tel Aviv ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Big City ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Big Cities ◽  
State And Local ◽  
City State

This article examines and compares governance relations of big cities in relatively small nation states in Reykjavík, Iceland, and Tel Aviv, Israel. The international literature has extensively explored governance at the municipal and national levels. We aim to enlarge this discussion by examining the unique role, experience and dynamics of large, dominant cities vis-à-vis other governance entities in the era of local governance. Using a grounded theory approach we suggest the frameworks of 'building strong nations', new localism, and 'cooperation versus collaboration' to enlighten nation-big city, state-big city and big city-city governance relations, respectively. We employed a qualitative design, using textual analysis and in-depth interviews with both state and local actors in the two countries. The results show that in both countries examined, dominant cities are required to fill a unique triple role: as leading cities in their metropolitan areas, in their respective states, and in their respective nations. Yet the two cases also differ in important ways. While Reykjavík is the head of a well-functioning community of co-producers, Tel Aviv is closer to a local jungle, where competition and competing interests prevent effective cooperation. Implications of the findings are discussed in the era of local governance.

scholarly journals Conceptualising the role of cities in the governance of religious diversity in Europe

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 810-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Martínez-Ariño
Keyword(s):  
Religious Diversity ◽  
Sociology Of Religion ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
The Public ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Political Interests ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Informal Practices ◽  
Legal Frameworks

The sociological literature has devoted less attention to cities than to nation-states as contexts for the regulation of religion and religious diversity in Europe. Drawing on ideas from the literature on migration, urban studies, geography and the sociology of religion, as well as empirical material from fieldwork conducted in three medium-size cities in France, the author conceptualises the governance of religious diversity in cities as complex assemblages where (1) the political interests and claims of various unequally socially positioned actors over (2) a number of domains and objects of the public expression of religiosity are (3) subjected to a variety of municipal interventions, which are (4) shaped by the interplay of supranational legal frameworks, national legislation, policies, institutional arrangements and local contextual factors. The result of these regulation processes are particular (and often contested) normative definitions of ‘accepted’ or ‘legitimate’ public expressions of religiosity, subsequently enacted by a variety of local actors through both formal procedures and informal practices.

scholarly journals Karier Subkultur dan Kelompok Marginal: Menelaah Potret Profesi Dominatrix dalam Serial Netflix “Bonding”

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Prasakti Ramadhana Fahadi
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Working Class ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Class Member ◽  
Interpretive Analysis ◽  
Big City ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
Big Cities ◽  
Alternative Sexuality

The competition for jobs in big cities tends to be tougher for the members of groups that are marginalized and socially stigmatized. As a consequence, alternative cultures and vocations emerge. An example of this is the role of professional dominatrix in the kink or alternative sexuality subculture. Using interpretive analysis method, this article studies youth with other marginal identities—namely ‘woman’, ‘homosexual’, and ‘working-class member’ — in regards to their choice to pursue their career in kink subculture as a professional dominatrix in Netflix’s show Bonding. The findings of this research are as follows: The legitimation of alternative sexuality industry as a metropolitan subculture; young people choose to pursue a career, especially in subcultural industry, as a platform as well as motivation for self-actualization, and; jobs in sex and alternative sexuality industry are taken by marginalized young people as an effort to make a living in a big city.

scholarly journals The Role of Community in Fighting Corruption in Ukraine

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 631-642
Author(s):  
Olha Bondarenko ◽  
Petr Malanchuk ◽  
Mikhail Dumchikov
Keyword(s):  
Local Governance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Potential Conflict ◽  
Conflict Of Interests ◽  
The Public ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Corruption Prevention

All countries suffer from corruption to a greater or a smaller degree. An effective combination of measures aimed at preventing and fighting corruption guarantees success in counteracting this destructive, harmful phenomenon. The role of community in fighting corruption is growing at the current stage of the development of the state and the society. Thus, the right of the public to take measures to counteract corruption is embedded at both the international (the UNO Convention against Corruption) and the national (the Constitution of Ukraine, the laws of Ukraine «On Corruption Prevention», «On Petitions of Citizens», «On Access to Public Information», etc.) levels. This right can be exercised in three forms. The first is the participation of individual citizens who have attained majority in fighting corruption. The second form is the participation of public organizations. Thus, there are about 200 anti-corruption NGOs currently active in the country. The third form is the activity of mass media, for example, spreading information on the anti-corruption investigations. There are also two groups of methods that the public can use to exercise its right to counteract corruption: information-consulting and dynamic (active). The first group includes: the possibility to request and obtain information, in the amount and according to the procedure not prohibited by law, on the activities of preventing and fighting corruption from the bodies of state and local governance; the possibility to take part in parliamentary hearings; the possibility to report the revealed facts of corruption or corruption-related violations, of real or potential conflict of interests to specially authorized subjects in the sphere of counteracting corruption, to National Agency of Corruption Prevention, to the management or other representatives of the body, company, institution or organization where these violations happened or whose employees have a conflict of interests; the possibility to introduce initiatives to the subjects of the legislative initiative on improving the legislative regulation of relations emerging in the sphere of preventing corruption, and on taking measures aimed at informing the public on preventing corruption. The group of dynamic methods includes the possibility to initiate and conduct a public anti-corruption expertise, as well as scientific and sociological research on the problems of preventing corruption, and also the possibility to have public anti-corruption control. Besides, the legislation provides for a possibility to implement other anti-corruption measures that are not prohibited by law. One of the key methods of counteracting corruption is the anti-corruption training of the potential subjects of corruption offences. The authors conclude that the public is a key full-fledged subject of fighting corruption in Ukraine.

City and Empire in the Age of the Successors

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Boehm
Keyword(s):  
Alexander The Great ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Greek City ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Textual Evidence ◽  
Political Struggles ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Practical Reality ◽  
City State

In the chaotic decades after the death of Alexander the Great, the world of the Greek city-state became deeply embroiled in the political struggles and unremitting violence of his successors’ contest for supremacy. As these presumptive rulers turned to the practical reality of administering the territories under their control, they increasingly developed new cities by merging smaller settlements into large urban agglomerations. This practice of synoikism gave rise to many of the most important cities of the age, initiated major shifts in patterns of settlement, and consolidated numerous previously independent polities. The result was the transformation of the fragmented world of the small Greek polis into an urbanized network of cities. This book provides a new approach to this encounter between imperial powers and cities in northern Greece and Asia Minor. Drawing on a wide array of archaeological, epigraphic, and textual evidence, it reinterprets the role of urbanization in developing the structure of Hellenistic empire and argues for the agency and centrality of local actors in the formation of these new imperial cities.

scholarly journals Suburbanization and Local Governance - Positive and Negative Forms: Olomouc Case Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (27) ◽  
pp. 95-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Kladivo ◽  
Pavel Roubínek ◽  
Zdeněk Opravil ◽  
Martina Nesvadbová
Keyword(s):  
Local Governance ◽  
Social Climate ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
New Construction ◽  
The City ◽  
Housing Estates

Abstract Over the previous 15-20 years (in Czech conditions), suburban processes have substantially influenced the appearance and transformation of municipalities on the fringe of larger cities. And it is not only the morphology of the municipality structure (new housing estates and their urban as well as architectural solutions) that has undergone the transformation, but also the functions municipalities have started to fulfil (the development of civic amenities and services). After such a long period of time, we are capable of identifying negative as well as positive impacts of suburban processes on municipalities, and evaluating the role of local actors (with regard to local governance) in the shaping of sub-urbias and their appearance (the area urban solution, infrastructure, architecture in terms of housing appearance, etc.). We are also capable of assessing new construction sites based on their location or appearance (housing naturally complementing or suitably extending the municipality built-up area, or, on the contrary, a satellite housing estate built “on a greenfield site”), social climate between old residents and newcomers, etc. The goal of the paper is to present the most significant aspects that have had influence on new housing construction in suburban zone municipalities, and to describe differences in the application of the concept of local governance (at the lowest - microregional, or possibly municipal tier) in positively impacted municipalities as compared with those affected rather negatively. Concentrating on the city of Olomouc and its suburban zone in greater detail, the study shall also outline expected future development.

Preliminary Report on the Research of “Activity Centers” in Taidong, Taiwan

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-125
Author(s):  
Petr Janda
Keyword(s):  
Preliminary Report ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Traditional Beliefs ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Religious Significance ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Symbolic Value ◽  
Suitable Location

This report presents current research on aboriginal activity centers in Taidong County, Taiwan, primarily in the townships of Chishang and Yanping with over 30% of the population being of aboriginal ancestry. Taidong County is the region with the most distinctive aboriginal communities in Taiwan. The research attempts to identify the actors behind the operation of such centers and their significance for aboriginal communities. The research investigates the process of selecting suitable location for the facilities, the specific features of such centers, the potential religious significance of the locations including the role of traditional beliefs in predominantly Christian aboriginal communities, the symbolic value of structures built in the traditional style for construction of ethnicity and financing that enables the construction of the facilities and the organization of the festivities held in them. The principle research method used was interviews with local actors including local representatives, organizers of festivities, as well as members of local communities. The research began in 2017.

Effectiveness of Tax Policy of Ukraine: Evidence and Economy Implications

2020 ◽  
pp. 124-131
Author(s):  
Olena P. Slavkova ◽  
Oksana I Zhilinska ◽  
Maksym Palienko
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Tax Policy ◽  
The State ◽  
State Budget ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
State Tax ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Tax Payments

The article deals with the peculiarities of the formation and implementation of tax policy in the country. The analysis of change of tax receipts to the state and local budgets is carried out. The role of tax payments in the economic development of the country is determined. The efficiency of the state tax policy in Ukraine is analyzed, its advantages and disadvantages are determined. The important role of tax payments in stimulating economic and social development is substantiated. The analysis of the elasticity of change of indicators of economic development of the country from the change of volume of tax receipts to the budget is carried out. The necessity of improving the existing policy of establishing, accrual, payment, and distribution of tax revenues as one of the most promising areas to stimulate economic growth is concluded. Keywords: tax policy, revenues, tax evasion, state budget, elasticity, economic development

Comedy and the Athenian Ideal

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Konstan
Keyword(s):  
American Democracy ◽  
Intended Audience ◽  
The World ◽  
Hollywood Movies ◽  
Hellenistic World ◽  
City State ◽  
The City ◽  
New Comedy ◽  
A Performance

New Comedy was a Panhellenic phenomenon. It may be that a performance in Athens was still the acme of a comic playwright’s career, but Athens was no longer the exclusive venue of the genre. Yet Athens, or an idealized version of Athens, remained the setting or backdrop for New Comedy, whatever its provenance or intended audience. New Comedy was thus an important vehicle for the dissemination of the Athenian polis model throughout the Hellenistic world, and it was a factor in what has been termed ‘the great convergence’. The role of New Comedy in projecting an idealized image of the city-state may be compared to that of Hollywood movies in conveying a similarly romanticized, but not altogether false, conception of American democracy to populations around the world.

scholarly journals Decision Making from the Experience of Orthognathic Surgery Patients: A Grounded Theory Approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 238008442110144
Author(s):  
N.R. Paul ◽  
S.R. Baker ◽  
B.J. Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Major Surgery ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Theory Approach

Introduction: Patients’ decisions to undergo major surgery such as orthognathic treatment are not just about how the decision is made but what influences the decision. Objectives: The primary objective of the study was to identify the key processes involved in patients’ experience of decision making for orthognathic treatment. Methods: This study reports some of the findings of a larger grounded theory study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews of patients who were seen for orthognathic treatment at a teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Twenty-two participants were recruited (age range 18–66 y), of whom 12 (male = 2, female = 10) were 6 to 8 wk postsurgery, 6 (male = 2, female = 4) were in the decision-making stage, and 4 (male = 0, female = 4) were 1 to 2 y postsurgery. Additional data were also collected from online blogs and forums on jaw surgery. The data analysis stages of grounded theory methodology were undertaken, including open and selective coding. Results: The study identified the central role of dental care professionals (DCPs) in several underlying processes associated with decision making, including legitimating, mediating, scheduling, projecting, and supporting patients’ decisions. Six categories were related to key aspects of decision making. These were awareness about their underlying dentofacial problems and treatment options available, the information available about the treatment, the temporality of when surgery would be undertaken, the motivations and expectation of patients, social support, and fear of the surgery, hospitalization, and potentially disliking their new face. Conclusion: The decision-making process for orthognathic treatment is complex, multifactorial, and heavily influenced by the role of DCPs in patient care. Understanding the magnitude of this role will enable DCPs to more clearly participate in improving patients’ decision-making process. The findings of this study can inform future quantitative studies. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results of this study can be used both for informing clinical practice around enabling decision making for orthognathic treatment and also for designing future research. The findings can better inform clinicians about the importance of their role in the patients’ decision-making process for orthognathic treatment and the means to improve the patient experience. It is suggested that further research could be conducted to measure some of the key constructs identified within our grounded theory and assess how these change during the treatment process.

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