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Truncated inverse-Lévy measure representation of the beta process
No full textThe beta process is a widely used nonparametric prior in Bayesian machine learning. While various inference schemes have been developed for the beta process and related models, the current state-of-the-art method relies heavily on the stick-breaking representation with decreasing atom weights, which is available only for a special hyperparameter. In this paper, we introduce the truncated inverse-Lévy measure representation (TILe-Rep) that extends the decreasing atom weights representation of the beta process to general hyperparameters. The TILe-Rep fills the gap between the two stick-breaking representations in Teh et al. (2007) and Paisley et al. (2010). Moreover, it has a lower truncation error compared to other sequential representations of the beta process and potentially leads to the posterior consistency property of the Bayesian factor models. We demonstrate the usage of the TILe-Rep in the celebrated beta process factor analysis model and beta process sparse factor model
The space of the world: can human ethics survive social media and what if it can't?
No full textThis article reflects on the global space of communications and interaction constructed over three decades through a commercialized Internet and platforms whose business model depends on extracting data from users and shaping user behavior to optimize behavior that will generate advertising value. Those conditions have guaranteed a space of human interaction larger, more polarized, and more toxic than is compatible with human solidarity, and increasingly complicit with toxic forms of political power. I argue that social theory might play some role in deconstructing, and potentially solving, this major problem for humanity by formulating alternatives. How might we build a different space of the world, less likely to be toxic and more likely to generate the solidarity and effective cooperation that humanity needs to address its huge shared challenges? And what are the implications for media and communication ethics of these fundamental challenges deriving from the scale of our digital communications
Competing visions of the future: Colombia's Magdalena River
No full textIn his new book, Artery: Racial Ecologies on Colombia’s Magdalena River, Dr Austin Zeiderman explores the past and present of one of the world’s great rivers, revealing the challenges of pursuing just and sustainable planetary futures. One story concerns the potential impact of a state-backed megaproject to transform the river into a logistics corridor. For some, the plan promised a more prosperous future for Colombia. But could it truly break free of enduring patterns of violence and exploitation, and the extraction of natural resources? Who did this vision support, and who would be left behind
“He had to get used to it” negotiating gender norms and domestic equality in urban Colombia
No full textDespite a steep rise in female labour force participation since the 1980s, men’s participation in unpaid work in urban Colombia has been slow to change. The article examines everyday negotiations around resilient gender norms shaping the household division of unpaid work, showing that these are deep-rooted but not fixed. Mixed-methods evidence from Medellín highlights practices of coping, resistance, and contestation by household members as they adapt to rapid urbanisation, violence, economic liberalisation, and the Covid pandemic. These three tactics contribute to conflicting patterns of change: while the first two occur within normative boundaries, the last actively pushes boundaries in socially legible ways, reclaiming old values to legitimise new practices. These intimate expressions of power at the urban margins drive gradual yet incomplete change. By demonstrating how evolving socio-economic conditions create room for intimate activism, the article calls for development approaches that better attend to interactions between structural forces and ongoing normative change
An ‘ironic compromise’ feminist research in military institutions
No full textResearch in critical military studies recognizes that processes of knowledge production are themselves political, with attendant debates focusing on the ethics of conducting research with military institutions. Arguing for the need to produce critical knowledge about these powerful institutions, recent work that employs ethnographic methods thus emphasizes the need to critically examine researcher location and the research process itself. This article contributes to these deliberations by examining feminist concerns around militarization in engaged research with/in military institutions. Drawing on original ethnographic reflections, which it places in dialogue with feminist accounts of conducting fieldwork with militaries, this article interrogates what the politics of such research are. Written from an anti-militarist stance, this analysis insists on the importance of attending to the micro-politics of both militarization and subversion in knowledge production. The article traces the workings of contradictory political forces at play in the ethnographic research process. It proposes thinking of these dynamics with the help of Homi K. Bhabha’s understanding of mimicry as ‘an ironic compromise’ as a guide for resisting militarized thinking in the research process
Rethinking the UK fiscal framework: lessons from elsewhere
No full textThe UK fiscal framework, especially the fiscal rules in place, has faced widespread criticism. Since the current system was introduced, the UK’s fiscal arithmetic has worsened. The article examines practices in other countries and, going beyond rules, looks at other dimensions of their fiscal frameworks, then suggests a ‘menu’ of possible changes to improve the UK approach. Scrutiny and a variety of governance features also deserve attention. While not all practices elsewhere can be directly adopted in the UK institutional setting and some would encounter political sensitivities, many can
Balancing simplicity and complexity through corporate emissions benchmarking
No full textStandardized quantitative emissions benchmarking is essential for corporate climate accountability, yet recent literature has critiqued this approach. We argue for structured pluralism with budget compliance — balancing methodological flexibility while preserving the disciplining power of carbon budgets
Making sense of the alignment of social justice beliefs, theory, and pedagogy: being and becoming a physical education teacher educator for social justice
No full textBackground: Amid the growing theoretical discourse on social justice in education, there are increasing calls for research on how educators integrate social justice pedagogies into their teaching. Systematic reviews emphasise the need for examining how teacher educators’ beliefs and positions shape their pedagogical practices, advocating for collaborative, reflective approaches to bridge theory and practice. Purpose: Drawing connections between the broader field of teacher education and physical education teacher education, we observed that deep theorisation on social justice often lacks alignment with practical pedagogical implications and the realities of teacher educators. In this paper, four (4) physical education teacher educators examined how we aligned our social justice beliefs with pedagogical practices. Theory: Theoretical frameworks that guided this investigation included the theory of practice [Cochran-Smith, 2009. “Toward a Theory of Teacher Education for Social Justice.” In Second International Handbook of Educational Change, 445–467] which emphasises integrating knowledge, interpretive frameworks, and pedagogical strategies for social justice and positioning theory [Harré et al., 2009. “Recent Advances in Positioning Theory.” Theory & Psychology 19 (1): 5–31] which complements this by exploring how teachers’ beliefs and experiences influence social justice practices. Methodology: Using narrative inquiry and collaborative storytelling, we examined the complexities of translating theory into practice, addressing gaps in research regarding how [teacher] educators navigate personal, socio-cultural, and professional influences on their practice. Data included personal narratives, meeting notes, recorded and transcribed online meetings. Drawing from processes used by others [e.g. Lorusso et al., 2022. “Shifting Policy Perspectives: Revelatory Incident Narratives from Physical Education Stakeholders.” Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education 13 (3): 284–297], data collection and analysis followed a non-linear process involving articulation, interrogation, dialoguing, reflection, probing, and revisiting parts of the process and data. In addition, inductive data analysis [Charmaz, 2014. Constructing Grounded Theory. Sage] and collaborative live coding [Parameswaran, Ozawa-Kirk, and Latendresse, 2020. "To live (code) or to not: A new method for coding in qualitative research." Qualitative Social Work 19 (4): 630–644], deepened interpretation of the data. Findings: While each of us seeks to integrate social justice into our practice, we do so through diverse yet interconnected theoretical frameworks and pedagogies rooted in social justice theory. We discuss these variations through two key themes: (1) the ongoing and complex process(es) of becoming physical education teacher educators for social justice, and (2) the inextricably interrelated and interdependent relationship between pedagogy, theory, and the personal. Discussion and considerations: This research underscores the ongoing, reflective journey of becoming socially just physical education teacher educators. We invite others interested in becoming a teacher educator for social justice to move beyond the what towards the how and why of social justice through collaborative examination of beliefs, theory, and practice. We encourage teacher educators (and pre-service teachers) to enter the activist space of social justice, a journey that can be facilitated through collaborative storytelling. What this looks like is a personal endeavour, but at its core, is being (and becoming) an activist educator