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Myths at work: taming imperial histories with tea
No full textThis article analyzes a day-long tea service at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo to unpack how people can uncritically replicate myths that subdue recognition of imperialist aggression. Extending the work of Roland Barthes, it identifies how myths can operate through objects grouped as a set, deployed in space, and used in interaction. Meanings attributed to objects both in their singularity and as members of a collection – a dual layering of semiotic interactions – can collude to vivify a myth that, in this case, emphasizes the peaceful essence of Japanese culture and depoliticizes a history of imperial violence. In doing so, the myth rides on a translocal connection that links the nation and the former empire to Asia today. The analysis reveals the ways that the material arrangement and physical enactment of a tea performance at a particular point in time suppressed a violent history of Japanese imperialism fought under the banner “Asian universalism” and invoked in its place a narrative of spreading peace through a bowl of tea
I was braver when I was younger’ contingent legality and noncitizen schooling among children of migrants in Sabah, Malaysia
No full textThis article explores the ambiguous zone between legality and illegality experienced by children of migrants in Sabah, Malaysia. It argues that, despite their systematic exclusion from Malaysian schools, and despite their largely undocumented status, such children experience forms of legality contingent on age, gender, ethnic appearance and the use of borrowed or informal documents. Such children’s acts of citizenship are very different to those of adults and may include working at a city market, travelling to a learning centre on a bus, or wearing a centre’s identity document around one’s neck. However, such practices are fragile, and attempts to pass as Malaysian may be rejected by the authorities. Noncitizen children in Sabah can experience temporary spaces and times of inclusion. However, their exclusion from Malaysian government schooling, and the ways in which they are ascribed migrancy as a master ethnic status, limits any possibility of more formal belonging
Decision-making under epistemic, strategic and institutional uncertainty during COVID-19: findings from a six-country empirical study
No full textBackground: Uncertainty is defined as limited knowledge or lack of predictability about past, present or future events. The COVID-19 pandemic management was significantly impacted by uncertainty, as the gaps between existing information and the necessary knowledge hindered decision-making. Current uncertainty literature primarily focuses on natural disasters, leaving a gap in understanding decision-making under uncertainty in times of public health emergencies. Analysing strategies for making decisions under uncertainty during the pandemic is crucial for future pandemic preparedness. Methods: Using a comparative research design, we study the strategies governments used to make decisions under uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected data through desk reviews, stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions with stakeholders from government, academia and civil society from six purposefully selected countries: Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Bangladesh, Jordan and the UK. Results: Regardless of political, geographic and economic context, all six countries adopted common strategies to make decisions under three types of uncertainties. Decision-making under epistemic uncertainty involved seeking expert advice and collecting evidence from other countries and international organisations. Decision-making under strategic uncertainty involved coordination, collaboration and communication. Decision-making under institutional uncertainty involved using or adapting pre-existing experiences, structures and relationships and establishing new institutions and processes. Conclusions: We contribute to the theory and practice of public health crisis decision-making by presenting a unified national-level applied decision-making framework for events involving uncertainty. We provide practical guidance for approaches to enhance decision-making in future health crises that could also be used for other emergencies
The time has come for a new democratic media policy in Europe
No full textBart Cammaerts, Professor of Politics and Communication at the LSE, explains why he believes European governments need to develop a more interventionist approach to media policy
As Congress certifies Donald Trump's re-election, questions remain over where he will plant his political flag
No full textToday in Washington DC the US Congress will meet to certify the results of the 2024 election, and Donald Trump’s presidential win. Four years ago, the same count was disrupted by Trump’s supporters in a violent insurrection. Phelan US Centre Director, Professor Peter Trubowitz writes that, by contrast, there will be no election deniers or violence at the Capitol today. He also looks at Trump’s influence on Congress and its legislative agenda, from aiding the re-election of the House Speaker, Mike Johnson, to pushing a single budget bill
Effects of individual incentive reforms in the public sector: the case of teachers
No full textCan incentive schemes deliver value in the public sector, despite major principal-agent challenges? We evaluate a reform that introduced individual teacher performance-related pay and tournaments in public schools in Portugal, despite trade union opposition. We find evidence that the focus on individual performance decreased student achievement (as measured by national exams) and increased grade inflation. The results follow from a difference-in-differences analysis of matched student-school panels and two complementary control groups (including private schools). Students with a higher proportion of teachers exposed to tournaments also perform worse. Overall, our results highlight the social costs of disrupting workers’ cooperation, a possible unintended consequence of public-sector tournaments
Black and Latinx workers reap lower rewards than White workers from years spent working in big cities
No full textThe large labor markets of big cities offer greater possibilities for workers to gain skills and experience through successively better employment opportunities. This “experience effect” contributes to the higher average wages that are found in big cities compared to the economy as a whole. Racial wage inequality is also higher in bigger cities than in the economy on average. We offer an explanation for this pattern, demonstrating that there is substantial racial inequality in the economic returns to work experience acquired in big cities. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 we find that each year of work experience in a big city increases Black and Latinx workers’ wages by about one quarter to half as much as White workers’ wages. A substantial amount of this inequality can be explained by further racial disparities in the benefits of high-skill work experience. This research identifies a heretofore unknown source of inequality that is distinctly urban in nature, and expands our knowledge of the challenges to reaching interracial wage equality
The shifting landscape of Iraq’s judiciary: increased judicial activism, centralisation and politicisation after 2017
No full textThis paper examines the evolution of Iraq’s judicial system after 2003, focusing on the increasing centralisation of judicial power and the rise of judicial activism. Following the fall of Saddam Hussein, the judiciary has become progressively insulated from criticism, with power concentrated within the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). This consolidation has allowed the judiciary to expand its role beyond impartial justice administration, engaging more actively in political processes and increasing its susceptibility to political influence. The findings of this paper suggest that post-2003 judicial reforms, while ostensibly aimed at fostering judicial independence, have instead led to the creation of a judiciary that is often seen as playing a political role and serving the interests of the leading Shi’a political elite. This has worked to compromise its intended neutrality and poses a risk to the rule of law in Iraq
Impact of conditional cash transfer programs on health outcomes in Argentina: a retrospective, observational analysis based on MICS 2019/2020
No full textBackground: Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) are widely used to combat intergenerational poverty and to invest in human capital. Argentina introduced its own CCT program AUH (Asignación Universal por Hijo) in 2009. The aim of this research was to assess the relationship between the AUH program and key indicators: healthcare use, nutritional indicators (among children under five years), and high school enrollment. Methods: We utilized data from the Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in Argentina between late 2019 and early 2020. Specifically, we employed different matching techniques to estimate the relationship between AUH and healthcare utilization and high school enrolment. Additionally, we assessed the program's importance in improving nutrition outcomes among children under five years. Findings: Our analysis reveals that the AUH program has not significantly increased healthcare utilization among affiliated children. When accounting for program heterogeneity, the impact of the program was found to be consistent across boys and girls, and across children of different ages, although we found evidence of increased healthcare utilization among adolescents. In addition, there was no statistically significant evidence for a link between program affiliation and reduction in stunting and wasting among children under five years. Furthermore, the program has led to increased high school enrolment among boys, consistent with established findings. Interpretation: The AUH program demonstrates a limited impact, particularly on health and nutrition outcome indicators. Efforts should be made to improve the program by focusing on cash transfer conditionality and amount, as well as strengthening healthcare infrastructure. Funding: None
The past, the present, the future: self-portrayals of wealthy business owners in the media
No full textThe super-rich rarely discuss their lives in public. On the occasions where they do, they provide interesting insights into self-legitimization strategies. In this article, we study the discursive construction of wealth accumulation through themes, drawing on the sociology of cultural processes in the (re-) production of inequality. We use interviews with wealthy German family-business owners in media outlets between 2014 and 2019. Applying thematic analysis, we demonstrate that these wealthy business owners discursively link the past, present, and future of their family and business. By doing so, they emphasize hard work to explain family wealth transitions and how such wealth is accumulated across generations. This temporal self-narration about business success tied to family structure creates a powerful discursive strategy to legitimize their wealth. Our findings contribute to the emerging field of media studies on wealthy dynasties and the super-rich