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The Conspiracist Theory of Power
Get PDFIn recent years, conspiracy theories have surged in democratic politics, enabling illiberal parties, movements, and politicians to win the votes of constituents who are disillusioned with mainstream democratic politics. Yet scholars of democratic backsliding have not fully grappled with the implications of conspiracism as the basis for a governing ideology. In this article, we argue that challenges to liberal democracy can be better understood by analyzing conspiracism as a theory of power in its own right. Conspiracy theories are formulated to identify the ultimate source of power in society. They attribute the occurrence of major historical and political events to malevolent actors and their secret activities, and their ideas can be fleshed out into a political program. We offer a conceptualization of conspiracism as a theory of power and analyze it alongside liberal and populist theories of power. We examine four facets of political theory - who should govern, who threatens power, what governing entails, and the constraints on power - to identify divergences and unexpected affinities across these bodies of thought. We argue that conspiracism is not merely a critique of power, but an intellectual foundation for a political regime embodied in autocracy, oligarchy, or an alternate technocracy. This analysis informs our understanding of a serious yet under‐theorized threat to liberal democracy
Secondary Vocational Schools as Pathways to Higher Education in China
Get PDFOver the past decade, the proportion of graduates from upper secondary vocational schools who have progressed to higher education (HE) has increased significantly in China. This study adopts a multiple case study methodology to provide an in‐depth examination of the under‐researched role vocational schools play in HE progression. Drawing on interview data, relevant policy documents, and administrative records, our findings reveal that vocational schools have actively promoted the "HE progression" trend. This role serves not only as a strategy for organizational survival - addressing challenges related to resource dependence and the pressure of institutional isomorphism - but also as a means of establishing organizational legitimacy. To improve HE admission rates, the schools in our case studies have implemented similar efficiency mechanisms in response to environmental pressures. These include enhancing the delivery of integrated‐education programs with symbolic quality control during the transfer process, adopting classification‐based student management systems that differ in form but are similar in substance, and establishing systems characterized by strong "examination‐oriented" features
Colonial and Post‐Colonial War Legitimization and Peace Process Efficacy: The Cases of Angola and Mozambique
Get PDFThe paradox of war's legitimacy has long fueled debate over what constitutes a just cause. This article examines the evolving interpretation of just war through the lens of Africa's 20th‐century decolonization. It examines how struggles for national sovereignty raised questions about the legitimacy of newly formed governments and their ideologies, as well as the efficacy of peace processes facilitated by international bodies amid ongoing interference from former colonial powers in a state‐centric, ideologically divided world order. This article draws on the case studies of Mozambique and Angola to explore the complexities of legitimization. These countries were selected for two reasons: First, both countries share a recent history shaped by their (de)colonization struggle against the Portuguese. Second, parallels emerge in their post‐colonial power struggles and the peace processes that followed. Ultimately, this comparison intends to explain how the protagonists legitimized their struggles and assess the effectiveness of the United Nations' approach to these conflicts. The differing outcomes in these cases highlight the importance of context‐specific approaches and the critical role of adaptable international support. This exploratory study relies on qualitative methods, drawing data from archival sources, particularly official documents from the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity, and parties involved in the conflicts. The study also employs discourse analysis to examine the narratives developed by various protagonists in their quest to legitimize warfare and articulate grievances during negotiations
The "Hottest Ever January" in Germany: Farmers' Protests and the Discourse on Agriculture and Food Production
Get PDFFollowing the German Federal Government's announcement of agricultural subsidy cuts in November 2023, farmers mobilized unprecedented protests, creating what their associations celebrated as a "hot January with more protests than the country has ever seen" ("Bauern wollen 'Kampfansage' der Ampel annehmen," 2023). These actions ultimately forced the government to withdraw the proposed policy changes. Our study applies the politicization/depoliticization - policy change model to analyze the theoretical connections between politicization and policy change announcements. Using discourse network analysis, we examine the evolution of politicization/depoliticization dynamics through newspaper articles published between the initial subsidy cut announcement on November 17, 2023, and March 26, 2024. Our findings reveal a dynamic politicization process that farmers strategically amplified through protests to achieve policy reversal. Our research also identifies concerning behavioral patterns of right‐wing actors and ideological infiltration within these protests, opening avenues for further investigation
Re-Examining "Solange I": Constitutionalism Beyond the State and the Role of Domestic Constitutional Courts
Get PDFFifty years have passed since the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) rendered one of its most widely discussed and influential decisions: Solange I. On May 29, 1974, the FCC famously held that it would review European Community law by the standards of German constitutional law for so long as the Community had not received a catalogue of fundamental rights, which is adequate in comparison with the catalogue contained in the German Basic Law. Only a handful of cases may qualify to potentially celebrate them in fifty years' time. Solange I is one of them. Why? What intellectual and institutional aspects of this decision are worth celebrating and preserving in Europe and beyond
Polens Sicherheitspolitik: amerikanische Ungewissheit und europäisches Moment; die Zweifel an den USA wachsen
Get PDFMit der Trump-Administration ist die Ära der transatlantischen Gewissheit auch für Polens Sicherheitspolitik vorüber. Die enge sicherheits- und verteidigungspolitische Kooperation mit den USA und das amerikanische Engagement in Europa waren und sind das Fundament der polnischen Sicherheit. Mehr noch: Das polnisch-amerikanische Sonderverhältnis war für Polen überdies ein Kraftverstärker für seine Rolle in Europa. Doch der Eckstein der polnischen Sicherheit ist brüchig geworden. Schutzgarantien werden weniger glaubwürdig, die Reduktion von Truppenpräsenzen auch in Polen kann real werden. Während in Polen der Bündnistreue der USA nach außen Vertrauen geschenkt wird, kommen faktisch Zweifel an der Zuverlässigkeit des großen Verbündeten auf. Polen möchte die transatlantischen Beziehungen und die US-Präsenz in Europa konsolidieren, durchgeht aber gleichzeitig ein europäisches Moment. Deutschland und Polen könnten in Anbetracht dessen eine Sicherheitspartnerschaft etablieren. (Autorenreferat
Bridging the Gap: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mhealth Interventions in Improving Antenatal Care Uptake and Reducing Maternal Mortality in Rural Northern Nigeria
Get PDFThis systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the effectiveness of mobile health (mHealth) interventions in improving antenatal care (ANC) uptake and reducing maternal mortality in rural Northern Nigeria. Drawing from 50 studies involving over 85,000 participants, the findings reveal that mHealth interventions - particularly SMS-based solutions - significantly enhance attendance at ANC (OR 1.85), skilled birth attendance (OR 1.67), and utilisation of postnatal care (OR 1.94). Researchers found that educational text messages improved ANC uptake by up to 67%, with SMS interventions proving to be the most cost-effective. Despite these promising outcomes, barriers such as digital illiteracy, poor network infrastructure, and socio-cultural resistance remain. The study supports the integration of tailored mHealth strategies into maternal health policies for rural Nigerian contexts
Bayesian insights on digitalization and environmental sustainability practices: towards the twin transition in the EU
Get PDFUtilizing a Bayesian network approach, this paper uncovers the probabilistic relationships between digital technologies (DTs) and environmental sustainability practices (ESs), aiming to identify specific portfolios of digital solutions that significantly contribute to environmentally friendly strategies of European firms. Data are from a sample of 10,583 European firms surveyed in 2020 through Flash Eurobarometer 486. Results reveal that the adoption of a "one instrument, one objective" approach highlights high-speed infrastructure as optimal for recycling and waste reduction, while an approach involving "more instruments, joint scopes" demonstrates the highest probability of circular economy (CE) practices with specific combinations of DTs. Importantly, the paper contributes to illuminating the current representation of twin transition by assessing the effect of DTs by comparing conditional probabilities with marginal probabilities across a multitude of outcomes (optimal DTs and ES combinations), thereby offering implications for research, managerial practice, and policymaking
Conference Report: Mapping Situational Analysis - An International Conference
Get PDFIn this conference report we provide insights into some of the key topics presented at the first international conference on situational analysis in Germany, held in November 2024 in Magdeburg. Central issues discussed include collaborations and feminist perspectives in practice for power-sensitive knowledge production, nonhumans and how they can be included in situational analysis through all types of mappings as well as methodical and methodological questions regarding mapping processes, interdisciplinary mapping, and the conceptualization of space in and through situational analysis. Adele CLARKE and her work were honored and celebrated at the conference.In diesem Tagungsbericht geben wir Einblick in einige der zentralen Themen, die während der ersten internationalen Tagung zur Situationsanalyse im November 2024 in Magdeburg diskutiert wurden. Hierzu gehörten insbesondere Kollaborationen und feministische Perspektiven in der Praxis, nichtmenschliche Akteure und wie diese in Mapping-Strategien der Situationsanalysen aufgenommen werden können, aber auch methodische und methodologische Fragen, interdisziplinäres mappen und Raumkonzepte der Forscher*innen. Die Konferenz wurde in Gedenken an und zu Ehren von Adele CLARKE organisiert
Cyber Governance in Morocco: Between the Consolidation of Interne Status and the Enhancement of Global Positioning
Get PDFBackground: The conceptualization of Moroccan cyberspace is intrinsically linked to the country's international and regional dynamics, in particular those of its African and Mediterranean neighborhood. Methodology: we have mobilized quantitative techniques and potential comparative analysis to address our crucial research questions around the strengths and weaknesses within Morocco's national cyber strategy by analyzing and comparing them with other international experiences, and finally recommending best practices to maintain the regional leadership position. Discussion: Although Morocco has acquired considerable expertise in comparison with this environment, regarding proven mechanisms of cyber stability, and the institutionalization and organization of national cyber security. However, one of the main obstacles lies in the centralization of these practices by the State, as well as in the sectorial and selective approach chosen by Moroccan policymakers to secure the national cyber space. This strategy, contrary to the country's principles of openness, was developed on the basis of the arguments, based on the priorities and strategic challenges specific to each sector. Aims: We open up our local experience to comparison with other known global experiences in the field of national cybersecurity, to decipher the strengths and weaknesses of national digital strategies and to fill the gaps causing the weakening of our replicating processes. Conclusion: The question is whether a simple reform of the central state's public policies on national cybersecurity is effective or, on the contrary, the situation requires a drastic and broader intervention, materialized by major investments and structural reforms in entire development strategies