Search Results (412)

Introduction: Access of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth to gender-affirming medical care (GAMC) has become a contentious topic in the West, with many members of the general population, politicians, and even some experts and academic researchers voicing concerns about possible adverse effects of GAMC on the mental and physical health of TGD youth. Due to these concerns, recent years have seen a significant rise in legislation restricting TGD youth from accessing GAMC in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. However, in this critical review of the literature on the psychological (e.g., anxiety, depression, suicide, and body satisfaction) and physical (e.g., bone health, cognitive function, and fertility) health outcomes associated with GAMC among TGD youth, we argue that, given the state of current research, youth should not be restricted from accessing GAMC. Conclusions: Our findings reinforce the importance of close monitoring by doctors, counselling for TGD youth with respect to potential risks, and increased studies on the topic, especially those focusing on reproductive health. Full article

Hierarchies are common in political settings. From judges to elected politicians, as well as from activists to bureaucrats, political agents compete for promotion to higher positions. This paper studies political tournaments and their impact on two aspects of political performance: accountability and selection. While larger tournaments discourage effort, they improve selection. We also discuss the optimal design of tournaments as a function of the principal’s objectives and the features of the environment. We find that tournaments of size two (such as two-candidate elections) are generally suboptimal. Our analysis also highlights that increased desirability of promotion always increases effort but can reduce the optimal tournament size under certain conditions. We also present a range of other comparative statics. Full article

Violence against people with albinism (PWAs) in Tanzania continues nearly two decades after mass media reported the first incidents in the mid-2000s. The violence is linked to organ trafficking for use in “magical rituals” that allegedly help politicians and businesspeople to succeed in their endeavors. Over time, as societal awareness grows, the attacks become increasingly clandestine and complex. PWAs themselves, the public, and gray literature frequently relate the violence to the increased political and economic activity and participation following Tanzania’s adoption of political and economic liberalization. However, scholarly research is either silent or mentions the occult practices only in passing. This paper, therefore, explores Tanzania’s institutional arrangements both driving the violence and crippling the efforts at promoting the rights and welfare of PWAs in the wake of increasing political and economic participation in the country. It discusses the ways in which violence against PWAs has evolved alongside political and economic dynamics from the time such incidents came to public attention until the present. I argue that the current approach, whereby advocacy about the rights of PWAs relies on appeasing the state, appears to perpetuate the very beliefs and practices driving the violence. The exploration makes use of first-hand experience through my participation in numerous formal and informal interactions with PWAs, internal and external meetings within the Tanzania Albinism Society (TAS), interviews, and gray literature on the subject. Full article

This study explores the governance and implementation of local labor market programs (LLMPs) in Swedish municipalities, analyzing the tension between national mandates and local policy practices. Drawing on institutional ethnography (IE), intersectionality, and emotional labor theories, we examine interviews with politicians and managers from eight municipalities. Politicians frame LLMPs as budget-driven initiatives, depoliticizing local labor market issues to comply with national policies like the January Agreement. This approach prioritizes efficiency, workfare models, and quick labor market entry, often sidelining individualized support. In contrast, managers describe their role as navigating policy constraints while addressing diverse local needs. They emphasize the challenges of aligning “one-size-fits-all” activation strategies with the realities of their participants, advocating for flexibility and adaptation within national frameworks. These contrasting perspectives reveal how LLMPs, although locally implemented, are shaped by textually mediated national policies, which influence local governance practices. Politicians focus on the need to meet national objectives, while managers struggle to reconcile these goals with participant-centered approaches. This study contributes to the understanding of how LLMPs operate within a governance framework that prioritizes efficiency over holistic support, highlighting the limitations of workfare-oriented policies and their implications for labor market integration. Full article

The emphasis on collaborative governance and effective leadership to bring any social change is gaining prominence among researchers. This study investigates how leadership and collaborative governance can drive social change in waste management in Campania, using a qualitative, multi-site case study approach. Interviews of relevant politicians, public managers, citizens, waste management organizations and academics were conducted (2023–2024). This research uses the lens of multiple theoretical frameworks such as collaborative governance, network agency, public value framework and transformational leadership to explore different dynamics of the research such as stakeholder engagement, public value creation and leadership effectiveness in waste management. Moreover, several obstacles in the way of achieving social change in Campania concerning waste management and environmental sustainability are identified. The findings of this study added to the theoretical understanding of collaborative governance and social change through the demonstration of how transformational leadership, stakeholder participation and trust-based relationships drive good waste management while identifying structural limitations such as corruption and organized crime that hindered governance. Practically, it highlights five interconnected themes from interviews of leadership that civic leaders and managers must establish to promote positive social change: Difficulties in leadership effectiveness, civic potential unused, media mobilization, hope for a miracle and stakeholder engagement diversification. The public value framework is used to analyze the potential role of leadership in bringing change in society. The research findings are replicable and can be applied to a similar set of circumstances. This study advances existing research by addressing the gap in understanding how collaborative governance and transformational leadership can be integrated to tackle waste management and environmental sustainability challenges. The findings can be applied to other regions facing similar governance challenges, making it relevant for global sustainability efforts. Italy’s government has green-lighted projects to make these activities more visible while downplaying their negative impacts on the environment and public health. Full article

Over the last three decades, the once-distinct terms ‘asylum’ and ‘immigration’ have become conceptually intertwined. This process is almost complete in Europe, where politicians, media, the public, and even academia often speak of these concepts interchangeably. Blurring these concepts has implications for migratory people: it removes legal rights borne by the state and diminishes the claims of humanitarian protection seekers within these movements. We have simultaneously witnessed the recategorization and reinterpretation of the statuses of vulnerable populations on the move, using geolegality to exclude them from otherwise legally entitled protections. We speak to the problems with narrowing the eligibility for protection through geolegality while simultaneously contributing to conceptual indistinction between people that discredits their identities as rights bearers. This short essay reflects on the ethical dilemmas of language use by researchers in shaping and contributing to this situation. Full article

Examining public attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination is crucial for understanding the global effort to combat the ongoing pandemic. Social media platforms such as YouTube play a significant role in the dissemination of information and misinformation about the vaccine, making it imperative to analyze user comments to gain insights into vaccine perceptions. Analyzing the Philippines case is particularly significant as it provides insights into the attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination in a country that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic. The current study investigates the discourse surrounding vaccine hesitancy in comments on YouTube videos announcing the COVID-19 vaccination campaign by the Philippines national TV channels and its impact on engagement levels. A total of 741 YouTube comments were analyzed, with 80% exhibiting vaccine-hesitant related discourse. The results indicate that those with negative attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination exhibit higher engagement levels than those supporting vaccination (p < 0.05). Additionally, the most commonly used themes in vaccine-hesitant posts were “ingredients”, “health department control”, “pharmaceutical interest”, and “adverse effects”. Moreover, 134 sources were identified among the posts, with vaccine-hesitant posts utilizing more sources than supportive vaccine posts (p < 0.001). The most significant information sources utilized in the posts were related to other YouTube users, politicians, clinicians, and scientific papers. Finally, a total of 890 discourses were coded, with the most frequently used discourse types among vaccine-hesitant posts being negationist, institutional, preventive, political, and pharmaceutical. These findings offer valuable insights into the nature and prevalence of vaccine hesitancy discourse on social media platforms and its impact on public engagement. This study highlights the importance of targeted communication strategies and the provision of accurate information from reliable sources in addressing vaccine hesitancy. Full article

The recent literature highlights the importance of implementing ad hoc media literacy initiatives to counter sexist stereotypical representations in social media, particularly within the political field. To this end, the present study focuses on false and misleading contents (information disorders) about female politicians, since they can reflect gender stereotypes, portraying women as unfit for political roles. Thus, our exploratory study aims to analyze the stereotype content of information disorders targeting Italian female politicians, following classic models of stereotype content. Furthermore, it seeks to explore the role played by the type of information disorder and the political orientation of the targeted leaders. A database of 120 information disorders have been collected, codified, and analyzed. The results highlight that information disorders predominantly target the dimension of communion. Focusing on the types of information disorders, fabricated and misleading content appears to be associated with the professional and private life domains, primarily conveying communion-based stereotypical representations of politicians. Satirical and parodic contents, on the other hand, were associated with the esthetic domain, conveying agency-based stereotypical representations, with a particular focus on politicians’ physical competence. Regarding political orientation, a “Stereotyping from my eyes” effect was observed: communion-based stereotypical content prevails in information disorders targeting conservative leaders, while progressive leaders are stereotyped concerning the agency dimension. This effect may reveal a difference between conservative and progressive audiences in their adherence to traditional gender roles. Full article

The Boronia Ridge palusmont, Walpole, in southern Western Australia, is situated in the most humid part of the State. It was a unique hilltop wetland complex and the only one of its type in the State. On its margins, the area also supports the ancient sedge Reedia spathacea, a Gondwanan relict endemic to humid southern Western Australia and the Walpole region and a plant that was ultimately recognised as being of national significance and protected under Australia’s strongest conservation law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act (1999). However, prior to the geoheritage and biodiversity values of the area being known, in the late 1980s, a pristine scenic area west of Walpole, adjacent to the Walpole River and Walpole Inlet, classified as a Class A national park, was earmarked for urban development, in spite of there being “very little demonstrated requirement for land in Walpole”. This appeared to be as a result of poor land-use planning, since the urbanisation proposed was to be located on the Walpole River delta and wetlands. Urban infrastructures would also impact on adjoining wetlands and the Walpole Inlet System. With new information available in relation to the soils, wetlands, and environmental values of the area, in 1993, community groups and scientists combined, at a public Local Government meeting, to demonstrate that the proposed urban development, referred to as Lot 650, and later Boronia Ridge, with its above-land surface wastewater treatment, was inappropriate, both from an engineering perspective and due to the high conservation values of the area. With the support of the local government of the day and expert scientists who confirmed local concerns, the community engaged in a 7-year conflict with the development proponent, government agencies involved in decision making, and politicians of the day. Ultimately, the use of state-of-the-art science and traditional geomorphic, stratigraphic, hydrological, and geoheritage principles failed to prevent the urbanisation of the area in favour of preserving the whole area as a wetland complex. The following three reasons for this failure are identified: 1. political, rather than science-based decision making, 2. government agencies staffed without the necessary training in biological or earth sciences to make informed decisions, and 3. little attention to environmental concerns due to a bias towards development. Walpole, with its population of 400, moved from a low priority on the wastewater treatment priority list in Western Australia to a high priority on the deep sewerage priority list to accommodate a proposed residential development. Full article

This thought piece exposes the gap in the operationalised support in England for young people within the justice system who have special educational needs and disabilities. It exposes inequity within the system which serves to create barriers for justice-involved young people, who are likely to already be disengaged from education, in accessing appropriate provision. It presents gaps in key educational advice and practice relating to access to Education, Health and Care Plans as a route to support for justice-involved young people, identifying a negative bias for this group of children who are already marginalised. Within the context of an English Special Educational Needs system which is widely recognised as broken, and an ongoing parliamentary consultation into ways to improve the situation, this piece suggests key changes to reduce the inequitable access to special education provision for young people accommodated in the secure estate. These suggestions make a contribution to the agenda of English politicians and the Department of Education. Full article

Residential vulnerability in urban spaces is a complex phenomenon subject to a variety of social and economic factors. An example of this scenario is the San Francisco neighbourhood in Villena (Alicante, Spain). This is an area of residential vulnerability because of low levels of education among the population, low income, precarious housing and public insecurity. The main goal in this study was to analyse the profile of the neighbourhood using a mixed methodology based on statistical consultations with several official bodies and a qualitative method derived from surveys conducted with experts and interviews with focus groups made up of specialists, politicians and residents. The most significant results included the demographic stagnation of the local population and, conversely, a rejuvenation of the population thanks to foreign immigration, shaping a multicultural space not free of conflict, exclusion and residential precariousness. New challenges for integration towards a more participatory and safer coexistence emerged, with strategies aimed at curbing abandonment, preventing unlawful occupation of properties and contributing to residential and social regeneration. Full article

In this article, I consider the narratives framing Italian-language accounts of ecclesiastical censorship in early modern Italy and its impact on the modern Italian state. I set out Adriano Prosperi, Vittorio Frajese and Gigliola Fragnito’s interpretations of the significance of the Roman Inquisition and the Congregation of the Index. Although each of these historians engaged with the theories of modernity developed by such scholars as Max Weber and Michel Foucault, I argue that their narratives were informed by a desire to explain a different historical problem. Weber and Foucault sought to demonstrate that the achievements of modern society were achieved through the creation of structures of social discipline that impinged upon individual liberty. The historians I consider here addressed a different question. They were seeking to consider whether the suppression of individual liberty enacted by the Catholic Church’s disciplinary structures prevented Italy’s progress to modernity and statehood. These arguments were initially formulated during the mid-to-late nineteenth century by such scholars and politicians as Bertrando Spaventa and Francesco de Sanctis, whose thought had been shaped by exposure to Hegelian historical and philosophical thought. In this paper, I argue that in Italian historical discourse, accounts of the nature and effects of ecclesiastical censorship have been framed by what is, in effect, an inverted Protestant narrative of progress. Full article

This article adopts the thesis formulated by Laurent Pernot, according to which sophists existed in every period of history. By comparing the rhetorical strategies developed by the Second Sophistic authors—in particular Aelius Aristides—with the works of the Late Byzantine politician and literatus Demetrius Kydones, striking similarities emerge, allowing an argument for the continuity of the Sophistic tradition. Authors of the Second Sophistic did not only contribute to the Byzantine politikòi stylistic models, but provided them with pragmatic approaches to navigating moments of crisis, even at the cost of negotiating and transforming traditional values. This emerges also in Kydones’ attempt to bring together East and West in order to contain the Turkish threat. His efforts mirror those of Aelius Aristides and other members of the Second Sophistic who similarly tried to mediate with the Roman empire. Furthermore, Kydones’ adoption of Greek paideia as a form of “soft power” in the West played a key role in the diffusion of the Sophistic tradition among Italian Humanists, like Leonardo Bruni. This phenomenon is closely linked with the “Sophistic Renaissance” explored by MacPhail and Katinis. Full article

Similarly to “wars” on drugs and terrorism, the fight against corruption has recently emerged as an attractive political tool. From Argentina and India to the United States and the Philippines, anti-corruption rhetoric has been successfully utilized by political outsiders to challenge establishment candidates. It remains less clear, however, whether anti-corruption enforcement allows incumbent politicians to hold on to power. In this article, we use a comparative subnational design to analyze the impact of corruption prosecutions on electoral support for the president of Russia. By combining original survey data on popular political attitudes and behaviors as well as citizens’ own participation in petty corruption with official statistics on corruption prosecutions, on the one hand, and data on media coverage of regional corruption scandals, on the other, we reveal a small negative effect of anti-corruptionism on voting for Putin. Our data allow us to adjudicate among several theoretical mechanisms that may lead to this effect. We find that, although ordinary Russians dislike corruption and expect the federal government to fight it, Putin’s anti-corruption enforcement has failed to convince the population that he is the right man for the job. Some Russians, we argue, take the Kremlin’s prosecutions as an indicator of the regime’s failure to prevent corruption among its agents, while others resent the administration for trying to score political points through hyped-up and punitive anti-corruptionism. Full article

Improving the green efficiency of urban land use (GEULU) is essential for optimizing resource utilization while minimizing waste and pollution, making it a critical factor influencing the sustainability of urban development. However, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the impact of China’s New-Style Urbanization (NU) policy on the GEULU, particularly at the urban agglomeration scale, remains understudied. This study employed a super SBM-DDF-GML model and spatial data analysis to examine the characteristics and spatiotemporal dynamics of the GEULU and its interactions with varying implementations of NU at the regional, urban agglomeration, and city levels. The results show that China’s GEULU followed a “U-shaped” tendency from 2006 to 2020. Cities in western China exhibit higher levels of green efficiency but slower growth, compared with lower absolute levels and faster development rates amongst the eastern cities. The GEULU displays a significant positive spatial autocorrelation, with “high-high clusters” shifting from west to east and “low-low clusters” moving in the opposite direction. The impact of NU on the GEULU is divergent: positive in eastern and central regions but negative in the western areas. Economic urbanization, urban population growth, and the clustering of research and education facilitate green efficiency, while urban sprawl significantly hinders its improvement. Social urbanization and digitalization exert adverse effects on green efficiency across many cities. Ecological and environmental protections promote the GEULU in southwestern cities but obstruct it in northeastern cities. The negative effect of NU on the green efficiency has diminished over time, while its positive effects have grown stronger. These findings provide insightful information for urban planners and politicians in crafting region-contextualized adaptive strategies to enhance sustainable urbanization and efficient land use in China. Full article