SSOAR - Social Science Open Access Repository
Not a member yet
93520 research outputs found
Sort by
What does successful university graduation signal to employers? A factorial survey experiment on sheepskin effects
Get PDFHigher education graduates enjoy substantial labour market advantages over similar individuals who attended higher education but did not complete a degree. We use a hiring survey experiment with 335 German employers to explore possible explanations for these 'sheepskin effects', while addressing concerns about unobserved confounding in observational studies. Across 2680 hypothetical job applicants, employers were nearly 1.8 times more likely to invite graduates for an interview than otherwise identical non-completers and were also willing to pay graduates substantially higher starting salaries. Using a unique survey module on employers' perceptions, we show that the average employer perceives degree-holders to outperform non-completers in terms of occupation-specific and non-cognitive skills but not in terms of general cognitive skills. These employer perceptions predict hypothetical hiring behaviour in that those who view graduates more favourably showed a stronger preference for this group in the survey experiment. We discuss these results in relation to signalling, human capital, and credentialism explanations of sheepskin effects
Millions for a Signature: The Role of Russian Regions in Recruitment
Get PDFSince the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, recruiting new soldiers has been a critical task for the Russian government. Regional governments play a key role in this effort: A unique dataset of 37 Russian regions shows that regional budget spending on enlistment bonuses dramatically increased in 2024. While some regions are offering millions of rubles to new soldiers, others display much less urgency One possible explanation for this divergence is that the Kremlin is setting recruitment targets that only some regional governments are struggling to meet. The budget data indicate that higher sign-on bonuses are effective and that the pace of recruitment increased toward the end of 2024
Learning the Right Lessons: How Ukraine Has Changed Drone Warfare
Get PDFRussia's war in Ukraine has undoubtedly become the single most important conflict for understanding how drone warfare may take shape in the future. This article zooms in on the fast-paced drone developments on the Ukrainian battlefield across platforms, functions, and operational domains. Most notably, repurposed hobbyist drones have demonstrated their tactical utility in high-intensity warfare by both providing a live-feed of the battlefield and becoming ammunition themselves. These developments have contributed to an improved cost-per-effect ratio of drone capabilities and an increasing relevance of the vertical dimension in land operations. Drones, however, are not a silver-bullet solution for achieving strategic victories. This article also highlights that the path to operational effectiveness is not as straightforward as the techno-optimists like to portray, examining the challenges related to the development, integration, and deployment of new uncrewed systems. Looking forward, research and development in artificial intelligence (AI) is promising major breakthroughs in autonomous drone operations, as well as command and control support. Finally, the Ukrainian battlefield shows that future warfare will most certainly involve multi-domain drone operations
Employment Opportunity Equality in Digital Engineering: A Qualitative Study of Female Graduates' Career Experiences
Get PDFIn the context of the globalized knowledge economy and evolving gender roles, the challenges faced by female career development in STEM disciplines, particularly in electronic information technology and computer science, demand increased academic attention. Despite policies promoting women's participation in traditional science and engineering, the industry penetration rate of female graduates remains not enough in these digital‐based engineering fields. This study employs semi‐structured interviews with 17 female digital‐based engineering students from Chinese universities to explore gender isolation through academic development mechanisms and labor market access. It reveals a "masculine" professional culture within digital‐based engineering education, characterized by a cold laboratory environment, male‐dominated project models, and gender‐biased evaluation criteria, creating a field that excludes women. During market transformations, the intersection of capitalist logic and traditional gender ideologies has fostered a "technical elite‐masculinity" narrative, leading to systematic losses of women's educational human capital during employment transitions. However, through social mutual assistance, women exchanged information, formed emotional identities, and accumulated social capital, challenging male dominance in science and technology and exploring gender reconstruction possibilities. The research suggests that while expanding female digital‐based engineering education challenges traditional occupational isolation, emerging technologies deepen gender‐power dynamics, masking inequality mechanisms through a conspiracy of capital and patriarchy
The long arm of repression: determinants of psychotherapy use among East Germans and its relevance for today's institutional trust - psychotherapeutic implications of political repression in the former German Democratic Republic
Get PDFMaintaining trust in social institutions is a critical challenge for Western democracies. We examine the role of psychotherapy on institutional trust in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR; now: New Federal States of Germany) which used open and covert methods to keep opposition members under control. Methods: The study with n = 1,805 individuals who were born and socialized in the former GDR (i.e., born before 1980) was conducted in 2022. Logistic regression models to predict a person's probability of psychotherapy use after the system change from the GDR to the New Federal States of Germany were built using a basic model derived from the literature with predictor variables such as gender and education. This model was extended by experiences of repression. In a second analysis, linear regression models to predict institutional trust were analyzed following a similar strategy with the addition of psychotherapy experience as a predictor. Results: Reporting repression in the GDR (44% of the total sample) was related to a higher probability of psychotherapy use. In the group who reported personally experienced repression (15% of the total sample), psychotherapy appeared to be relevant for higher levels of institutional trust. Discussion: Psychotherapy might have the potential to help regaining institutional trust after a system change. Psychotherapists should consider that patients who experienced (post-)socialism were commonly affected by repression and might show less institutional trust including the healthcare system. Furthermore, this study revealed an estimation of the occurrence of repression in a representative sample in the former GDR
A Mixed-Method Approach to Evaluating Citizen Engagement on Government Social-Media Pages
Get PDFIn their communication on social media, most organizations consider engagement as a core objective. In the public sector, a vast majority of contributions have studied citizen engagement through metrics such as post reactions, comments, and shares. In this article, we prefer another approach in seeking to understand both the perceptions and practices of engagement management and evaluation from the municipalities' point of view. We combine qualitative and quantitative data stemming mostly from communication managers in Nordic countries. Qualitative insights come from interviews conducted with these managers (N = 19) in Spring and Summer of 2024. Quantitative data come from a survey distributed to the communication managers of all Nordic municipalities with over 10,000 inhabitants (N = 525) in early 2025. Our findings show high heterogeneity in monitoring and evaluation of engagement; a focus on the metrics provided by social-media platforms, as well as content; and the importance of the quality of state - citizen exchanges. These findings call for a refined, qualitative approach to engagement on government social-media pages that goes beyond the metrics that are almost always used as a starting point in previous research
Exploring Covert Diplomacy in Peace Negotiations
Get PDFArmed groups seeking political or territorial change frequently challenge governments, leading to protracted armed conflicts. However, not all conflicts are resolved through decisive military victories. As a result, states have increasingly turned to secret negotiations as an alternative means of engagement. While secrecy can facilitate diplomatic flexibility, its effectiveness depends on the credibility of the government's commitment to cooperation. This study examines how the selection of government representatives in secret negotiations influences rebel group behavior and the likelihood of cooperation. Drawing on costly signaling theory and research on secrecy in diplomacy, this study argues that the level of government representation in secret negotiations serves as a key mechanism for signaling credibility. Specifically, high‐level representatives function as costly signals, reassuring rebels of the government's seriousness and increasing the likelihood of cooperation. By contrast, low‐level representatives provide strategic deniability but fail to generate trust, making negotiations less effective. This dynamic is particularly relevant in democratic settings, where governments face domestic audience costs if secret negotiations are exposed. To test these claims, the study employs a large‐N quantitative analysis of secret negotiations between democratic governments and rebel groups. The findings indicate that secret negotiations led by high‐level representatives significantly reduce rebel violence. In contrast, those conducted by low‐level representatives fail to establish credibility and do not contribute to de‐escalation. These results highlight the importance of credibility, the choice of representatives, and secrecy in conflict resolution, with implications for backchannel diplomacy and long‐term cooperation outcomes
Student Development Management in Improving Achievement in Secondary Schools
Get PDFThis study aims to analyse the planning, implementation, and supervision of student achievement coaching at SMP Negeri 2 Lingsar. The research approach used is a qualitative approach with data collection techniques through interviews, observations, and documentation. The data analysis technique used in this study refers to the Miles, Huberman, and Saldana data analysis model. The research findings indicate that achievement coaching planning is conducted in a participatory manner, beginning with the identification of student needs through a questionnaire at the start of the school year. The programs prepared include intracurricular and extracurricular activities based on student interests and talents. The implementation of achievement coaching involves various parties, including teachers, principals, and extracurricular instructors, with structured learning strategies and good organisation. Evaluation is carried out periodically every three months, through activity reports and direct monitoring by the principal. The supervision applied is based on the principles of educational management, but there are still obstacles such as limited student transportation and a lack of parental support. Overall, achievement coaching has been implemented systematically and strategically, although further evaluation and development are still needed to improve the effectiveness of the program
Social Media Strategies in Second-Order Elections: Insights From the 2019 European Election Campaign
Get PDFThis article investigates the strategic use of Facebook in the 2019 European Parliament elections, challenging the traditional view of these elections as "second-order" national elections. Drawing on a comprehensive dataset, the research analyzes campaign materials from all EU member states, focusing on the thematic and visual strategies employed by political parties on Facebook. The findings reveal that digital visibility, measured by the volume of posts, is a stronger predictor of electoral success than thematic coherence or ideological messaging. The study integrates theories of hybrid media systems, symbolic politics, and cultural performance to argue that Facebook functions not merely as a communication tool but as a symbolic arena where legitimacy is performed and contested. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of how social media platforms are reshaping the dynamics of European electoral politics
Urban Foods Beyond Urban Food Environments: Reflections From a Rural Village in Western Bhutan
Get PDFThis ethnographic article, based on anthropological fieldwork carried out between March 2024 and March 2025, aims to challenge the concept of urban food environments by focusing on the ways in which industrially produced foods - conceptualised as "urban foods" - and associated negative health outcomes proliferate beyond urban built spaces. In particular, it looks at the ways in which these foods penetrate what is considered a remote and rural village located in the Haa valley of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, exploring the mechanisms through which local inhabitants incorporate urban foods into their long‐established rural practices, shifting them from a capitalist logic of consumption to communal ethics of care. The article illustrates (through three ethnographic vignettes) and discusses how industrially produced foods become embedded in local practices and diets through social, cultural, and affective processes, suggesting that, to capture the complexity of contemporary food systems, we need to examine such processes in our analyses. We therefore need to think beyond urban food environments: firstly, issues associated with such environments have gone well beyond urban built spaces; secondly, by perpetrating the narrative predominance of the urban over the rural, we fail to notice the mechanisms that allow unhealthy urban food systems to exist, proliferate, and cause harm. This article contributes to the literature thinking beyond urban food environments by exploring some of the ways in which food spaces are constantly transforming into a (re)combination of urban and rural elements and relations