an article by Annie Sorbie (University of Edinburgh, UK) published in Evidence and Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice Volume 16 Number 2 (May 2020)
Abstract
In this article I respond to the tendency of the law to approach ‘the public interest’ as a legal test, thereby drawing the criticism that this narrow notion of what purports to be in the public interest is wholly disconnected from the views of actual publics, and lacks social legitimacy.
On the other hand, to simply extrapolate outputs from public engagement work into policy (or indeed law) is equally problematic, and risks being at best ineffective and at worst reinforcing existing inequalities.
Given this apparent disconnect between these conceptions of the public interest, and the shortfalls inherent in each, this article scrutinises this disjuncture.
I argue that the application of a processual lens to the construction of the legal and regulatory role of the public interest sheds light on how legal notions of the public interest, and attitudes of actual publics towards data sharing, might be reconciled. I characterise this processual approach as being iterative and flexible, specifically drawing attention to the way that multiple actors, processes and interests interact, change and evolve over time in the health research endeavour.
This approach is elaborated through two case studies that illustrate how the public interest appears in law (broadly conceived). Its application provides novel insights into the ways in which the public interest can be crafted within and beyond the law to better inform the development of health research regulation.
Full text (PDF 17pp)
Labels:
data, health, processual, public_interest,
Sunday, 28 June 2020
Saturday, 27 June 2020
Behind the screen of Facebook: Identity construction in the rehearsal stage of online interaction
an article by Hannah Ditchfield (University of Sheffield, UK) published in New Media and Society Volume 22 Issue 6 (June 2020)
Abstract
Social media platforms such as Facebook have been understood to present new possibilities for interaction. Yet, there have been concerns surrounding the reducing quality of our interaction and conversation. Such debates, however, have not considered the pre-post dimension of online environments: that is, the preparatory work that occurs to online posts before they are shared with their audience.
Based on real-time recordings of Facebook Messenger interactions, this article asks what the pre-post perspective tells us about the quality of our interactions online. The analysis is theoretically informed by Goffman and methodologically by conversation analysis and addresses this question with a specific focus on processes of identity construction and face.
In presenting innovative screen capture data, this article argues against claims that our interaction online is declining in quality instead showing the ways users perfect their online posts by elaborating a new stage of online communication: the ‘rehearsal’ stage.
Labels:
conversation_analysis, face, Facebook, Goffman, identity, screen_capture, social_interaction,
Abstract
Social media platforms such as Facebook have been understood to present new possibilities for interaction. Yet, there have been concerns surrounding the reducing quality of our interaction and conversation. Such debates, however, have not considered the pre-post dimension of online environments: that is, the preparatory work that occurs to online posts before they are shared with their audience.
Based on real-time recordings of Facebook Messenger interactions, this article asks what the pre-post perspective tells us about the quality of our interactions online. The analysis is theoretically informed by Goffman and methodologically by conversation analysis and addresses this question with a specific focus on processes of identity construction and face.
In presenting innovative screen capture data, this article argues against claims that our interaction online is declining in quality instead showing the ways users perfect their online posts by elaborating a new stage of online communication: the ‘rehearsal’ stage.
Labels:
conversation_analysis, face, Facebook, Goffman, identity, screen_capture, social_interaction,
Friday, 26 June 2020
Why feelings trump facts: anti-politics, citizenship and emotion
an article by Matthew Flinders (University of Sheffield, UK) published in Emotions and Society Volume 2 Number 1 (May 2020)
Abstract
This article seeks to explore and emphasise the role of emotions as a key variable in terms of understanding both the rise of anti-political sentiment and its manifestation in forms of ethno-populism.
It argues that the changing emotional landscape has generally been overlooked in analyses that seek to comprehend contemporary social and political change.
This argument matters, not only due to the manner in which it challenges dominant interpretations of the populist signal but also because it poses more basic questions about the limits of knowledge and evidential claims in an increasingly polarised, fractious and emotive contemporary context. The core argument concerning the existence of an emotional disconnection and why ‘feelings trump facts’ is therefore as significant for social and political scientists as it is for politicians and policy makers.
Labels:
anchorage, anti-politics, citizenship, emotions, imagination, populism,
Abstract
This article seeks to explore and emphasise the role of emotions as a key variable in terms of understanding both the rise of anti-political sentiment and its manifestation in forms of ethno-populism.
It argues that the changing emotional landscape has generally been overlooked in analyses that seek to comprehend contemporary social and political change.
This argument matters, not only due to the manner in which it challenges dominant interpretations of the populist signal but also because it poses more basic questions about the limits of knowledge and evidential claims in an increasingly polarised, fractious and emotive contemporary context. The core argument concerning the existence of an emotional disconnection and why ‘feelings trump facts’ is therefore as significant for social and political scientists as it is for politicians and policy makers.
Labels:
anchorage, anti-politics, citizenship, emotions, imagination, populism,
Thursday, 25 June 2020
Career, Family, and Workforce Mobility: An Interdisciplinary Conversation
an article by Wendy Patton and Catherine Doherty (Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia) published in Journal of Career Development Volume 47 Issue 3 (June 2020)
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to synthesise conceptual and empirical work from the fields of both sociology and career development to explore how issues of career, family, and workforce mobility are necessarily interrelated.
The use of work from sociology and career development demonstrates that the complexities of family solutions to career mobility undo the apparent simplicity of delivering a worker to a new worksite.
Although organisations and governments work to develop policies that incentivise mobility, including transport infrastructure, housing, employment conditions, and tax incentives, these will not necessarily address the private concerns and priorities of families.
This article argues for an interdisciplinary approach to better understand the intersubjective complexities implicated in the growing phenomenon and expectation of worker mobility and suggests both areas and design strategies for further research.
Labels:
career, workforce_mobility, family, interdisciplinarity,
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to synthesise conceptual and empirical work from the fields of both sociology and career development to explore how issues of career, family, and workforce mobility are necessarily interrelated.
The use of work from sociology and career development demonstrates that the complexities of family solutions to career mobility undo the apparent simplicity of delivering a worker to a new worksite.
Although organisations and governments work to develop policies that incentivise mobility, including transport infrastructure, housing, employment conditions, and tax incentives, these will not necessarily address the private concerns and priorities of families.
This article argues for an interdisciplinary approach to better understand the intersubjective complexities implicated in the growing phenomenon and expectation of worker mobility and suggests both areas and design strategies for further research.
Labels:
career, workforce_mobility, family, interdisciplinarity,
Wednesday, 24 June 2020
Are machines stealing our jobs?
Andrea Gentili (Università degli Studi Internazionali di Roma, Italy), Fabiano Compagnucci (Gran Sasso Science Institute, L’Aquila, Italy), Mauro Gallegati (Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy) and Enzo Valentini (Università degli Studi di Macerata, Italy) published in Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society Volume 13 Issue 1 (March 2020)
Abstract
This study aims to contribute empirical evidence to the debate about the future of work in an increasingly robotised world.
We implement a data-driven approach to study the technological transition in six leading Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
First, we perform a cross-country and cross-sector cluster analysis based on the OECD-STAN database.
Second, using the International Federation of Robotics database, we bridge these results with those regarding the sectoral density of robots.
We show that the process of robotisation is industry- and country-sensitive. In the future, participants in the political and academic debate may be split into optimists and pessimists regarding the future of human labour; however, the two stances may not be contradictory.
JEL Classification: E24, E66, J24
Full text (PDF 21pp)
Labels:
robotisation, labour_dislocation, cluster_analysis,
Abstract
This study aims to contribute empirical evidence to the debate about the future of work in an increasingly robotised world.
We implement a data-driven approach to study the technological transition in six leading Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
First, we perform a cross-country and cross-sector cluster analysis based on the OECD-STAN database.
Second, using the International Federation of Robotics database, we bridge these results with those regarding the sectoral density of robots.
We show that the process of robotisation is industry- and country-sensitive. In the future, participants in the political and academic debate may be split into optimists and pessimists regarding the future of human labour; however, the two stances may not be contradictory.
JEL Classification: E24, E66, J24
Full text (PDF 21pp)
Labels:
robotisation, labour_dislocation, cluster_analysis,
Monday, 22 June 2020
Choice and control in social care: Experiences of older self‐funders in England
an article by Kate Baxter and Yvonne Birks (University of York, UK) and Emily Heavey (University of Huddersfield, UK) published in Social Policy and Administration Volume 54 Issue 3 (May 2020)
Abstract
This paper considers the experiences of older self‐funders in England in the context of policies promoting choice and control.
Self‐funders are people who are not state‐funded; they pay for social care from their own resources. Choice and control have been operationalised through personal budgets, based on the assumption that managing resources enhances ability to access appropriate care and support.
This paper uses data from 40 qualitative interviews with self‐funders and their relatives, and 19 with professionals. It explores the impact of the financial and social capital that self‐funders are assumed to have and asks how older self‐funders experience choice and control.
The study found that older self‐funders drew on personal experiences, family, and friends for information; were reluctant to spend their wealth on care due to competing priorities; and felt they had more control over the timing of decisions than people who were state‐funded.
Personal wealth appears to be perceived differently to funds “gifted” to people through cash for care schemes.
Full text (PDF 15pp)
Labels:
self-funders, choice_and_control, social_care, older_people,
Abstract
This paper considers the experiences of older self‐funders in England in the context of policies promoting choice and control.
Self‐funders are people who are not state‐funded; they pay for social care from their own resources. Choice and control have been operationalised through personal budgets, based on the assumption that managing resources enhances ability to access appropriate care and support.
This paper uses data from 40 qualitative interviews with self‐funders and their relatives, and 19 with professionals. It explores the impact of the financial and social capital that self‐funders are assumed to have and asks how older self‐funders experience choice and control.
The study found that older self‐funders drew on personal experiences, family, and friends for information; were reluctant to spend their wealth on care due to competing priorities; and felt they had more control over the timing of decisions than people who were state‐funded.
Personal wealth appears to be perceived differently to funds “gifted” to people through cash for care schemes.
Full text (PDF 15pp)
Labels:
self-funders, choice_and_control, social_care, older_people,
Sunday, 21 June 2020
Different platforms for different patients’ needs: Automatic content analysis of different online health information platforms
an article by Remco Sanders, Annemiek J. Linn, Theo B. Araujo, Rens Vliegenthart and Julia C.M. van Weert (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and Mies C. van Eenbergen (Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation, Utrecht, the Netherlands) published in International Journal of Human-Computer Studies Volume 137 (May 2020)
Highlights
Abstract
Prior online health research has mainly focused on the predictors or outcomes of online health information, leaving online health information itself understudied.
Therefore, online health information has remained an umbrella term encompassing different platforms (expert- vs. peer-generated). A hybrid method that combines qualitative and computational methods is used to identify different topics discussed on these different platforms, and an initial model of patients’ social support needs was developed and applied to data obtained from the hybrid method.
Using topic modelling (Nposts = 52.990), topics on two expert- and two peer-generated platforms were identified.
Differences between and within platforms were found.
While peer-generated platforms mainly covered interaction on emotional support topics, expert-generated platforms covered informational topics. Within peer-generated platforms, patients used their experiences differently.
Labels;
information_seeking_behaviour, online_health_information, information_needs, cancer, automatic_content_analysis, model_of_patients’_social_support_needs,
Highlights
- Peer-generated platforms mostly contain content on affective support needs whereas expert-generated platforms mostly contain content on cognitive support needs.
- Coupling topic modelling and a-priori defined theoretical models in a hybrid method proof to be useful in analysing online health information data.
- In line with the optimal matching model, patients should be referred to, or seek out, specific platforms depending on their needs.
Abstract
Prior online health research has mainly focused on the predictors or outcomes of online health information, leaving online health information itself understudied.
Therefore, online health information has remained an umbrella term encompassing different platforms (expert- vs. peer-generated). A hybrid method that combines qualitative and computational methods is used to identify different topics discussed on these different platforms, and an initial model of patients’ social support needs was developed and applied to data obtained from the hybrid method.
Using topic modelling (Nposts = 52.990), topics on two expert- and two peer-generated platforms were identified.
Differences between and within platforms were found.
While peer-generated platforms mainly covered interaction on emotional support topics, expert-generated platforms covered informational topics. Within peer-generated platforms, patients used their experiences differently.
Labels;
information_seeking_behaviour, online_health_information, information_needs, cancer, automatic_content_analysis, model_of_patients’_social_support_needs,
Saturday, 20 June 2020
‘Burnout contagion’ among teachers: A social network approach
an article by Chloé Meredith,Wilmar Schaufeli, Charlotte Struyve, Machteld Vandecandelaere and Sarah Gielen (KU Leuven, Belgium) and Eva Kyndt (University of Antwerp, Belgium; Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) published in Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology Volume 93 Issue 2 (June 2020)
Abstract
Previous studies have found that burnout is to some extent contagious and have argued it is a socially induced phenomenon. However, until now, actual social interactions and the long‐term effect of this contagion have remained largely unexplored.
This study aimed to expand earlier findings on burnout contagion through the application of a social network approach.
This approach assumes that some relationships provide more information on the feelings and attitudes of others. This study therefore not only identified interaction partners, but also examined how characteristics (multiplexity, frequency, and embeddedness) of the relationship with those partners relate to burnout contagion.
Using (temporal) network autocorrelation models, burnout contagion was empirically investigated in the context of secondary school teams. Cross‐sectional analyses were performed on data obtained from 931 teachers working in 14 schools. Long‐term effects of burnout contagion were assessed among 578 teachers working in 12 schools.
The results showed that interpersonal interactions act as conduits for burnout contagion, especially when relations are strong in terms of frequency, embeddedness, and multiplexity. The results also showed that features of relationships play a differential role in the contagion of different components of burnout.
Moreover, long‐term effects were found for emotional exhaustion. This study thus provided evidence for the importance of interpersonal relationships in burnout contagion.
Practitioner points
burnout, emotional_contagion, social_network_analysis, secondary_schools, teachers,
Abstract
Previous studies have found that burnout is to some extent contagious and have argued it is a socially induced phenomenon. However, until now, actual social interactions and the long‐term effect of this contagion have remained largely unexplored.
This study aimed to expand earlier findings on burnout contagion through the application of a social network approach.
This approach assumes that some relationships provide more information on the feelings and attitudes of others. This study therefore not only identified interaction partners, but also examined how characteristics (multiplexity, frequency, and embeddedness) of the relationship with those partners relate to burnout contagion.
Using (temporal) network autocorrelation models, burnout contagion was empirically investigated in the context of secondary school teams. Cross‐sectional analyses were performed on data obtained from 931 teachers working in 14 schools. Long‐term effects of burnout contagion were assessed among 578 teachers working in 12 schools.
The results showed that interpersonal interactions act as conduits for burnout contagion, especially when relations are strong in terms of frequency, embeddedness, and multiplexity. The results also showed that features of relationships play a differential role in the contagion of different components of burnout.
Moreover, long‐term effects were found for emotional exhaustion. This study thus provided evidence for the importance of interpersonal relationships in burnout contagion.
Practitioner points
- Negative feelings are transmitted through personal interaction: As such, the importance of positive (social) experiences within the school team is stressed.
- Co‐rumination should be avoided as it may impact negatively on employees’ well‐being in both the short term and the long term.
- Given the contagious nature of burnout, interventions for preventing and reducing burnout should not be solely focused on increasing social support within the school team. External support might be necessary to disrupt a potential negative cycle within this team.
burnout, emotional_contagion, social_network_analysis, secondary_schools, teachers,
Neologising misogyny: Urban Dictionary’s folksonomies of sexual abuse
an article by Debbie Ging, Theodore Lynn and Pierangelo Rosati (Dublin City University, Ireland) published in New Media and Society Volume 22 Issue 2 (May 2020)
Abstract
Web 2.0 has facilitated a particularly toxic brand of digital men’s rights activism, collectively known as the Manosphere.
This amorphous network of online publics is noted for its virulent anti-feminism, extreme misogyny and synergies with the alt-right. Early manifestations of this phenomenon were confined largely to 4/Chan, Reddit and numerous alt-right forums. More recently, however, this rhetoric has become increasingly evident in Urban Dictionary.
This article presents the findings of a machine-learning and manual analysis of Urban Dictionary’s entries relating to sex and gender, to assess the extent to which the Manosphere’s discourses of extreme misogyny and anti-feminism are working their way into everyday vernacular contexts.
It also considers the sociolinguistic and gender-political implications of algorithmic and linguistic capitalism, concluding that Urban Dictionary is less a dictionary than it is a platform of folksonomies, which may exert a disproportionate and toxic influence on online discourses related to gender and sexuality.
Labels:
anti-feminism, extreme_misogyny, folksonomy, lexicography, machine_learning, Manosphere, misogyny, scatology, scat_porn, sexual_abuse, sexual_violence, slang, Urban_Dictionary,
Abstract
Web 2.0 has facilitated a particularly toxic brand of digital men’s rights activism, collectively known as the Manosphere.
This amorphous network of online publics is noted for its virulent anti-feminism, extreme misogyny and synergies with the alt-right. Early manifestations of this phenomenon were confined largely to 4/Chan, Reddit and numerous alt-right forums. More recently, however, this rhetoric has become increasingly evident in Urban Dictionary.
This article presents the findings of a machine-learning and manual analysis of Urban Dictionary’s entries relating to sex and gender, to assess the extent to which the Manosphere’s discourses of extreme misogyny and anti-feminism are working their way into everyday vernacular contexts.
It also considers the sociolinguistic and gender-political implications of algorithmic and linguistic capitalism, concluding that Urban Dictionary is less a dictionary than it is a platform of folksonomies, which may exert a disproportionate and toxic influence on online discourses related to gender and sexuality.
Labels:
anti-feminism, extreme_misogyny, folksonomy, lexicography, machine_learning, Manosphere, misogyny, scatology, scat_porn, sexual_abuse, sexual_violence, slang, Urban_Dictionary,
A glass ceiling on poverty reduction? An empirical investigation into the structural constraints on minimum income protections
an article by Bea Cantillon (University of Antwerp, Belgium), Zachary Parolin (Columbia University, USA) and Diego Collado (University of Essex, UK) published in Journal of European Social Policy Volume 30 Issue 2 (May 2020)
Abstract
This article investigates whether declining or sluggish growth in earnings for low-wage workers contributes to declining levels of minimum income protections.
Starting from the observation of lacklustre growth in minimum income protections, this article introduces a framework to conceptualise the tensions facing modern welfare states in their attempt to
We argue that, due to downward pressure on low gross wages compared to median household incomes, it has become more difficult to balance each of those three objectives. Estimation results from country-year panel data suggest that declines in minimum wages (or low gross wages) are associated with declines in minimum income protections for the jobless.
When growth in minimum income protections does exceed growth in low gross wages, we find that welfare states also increase gross-to-net effort to subsidise the net income of low-wage earners.
We argue that these findings point towards a ‘structural inadequacy’ around minimum income protections for the jobless.
Labels:
inequality, minimum_income_protections, poverty, social_policy, welfare_state_change,
Abstract
This article investigates whether declining or sluggish growth in earnings for low-wage workers contributes to declining levels of minimum income protections.
Starting from the observation of lacklustre growth in minimum income protections, this article introduces a framework to conceptualise the tensions facing modern welfare states in their attempt to
- provide poverty-alleviating minimum incomes,
- achieve employment growth and
- keep spending levels in check.
We argue that, due to downward pressure on low gross wages compared to median household incomes, it has become more difficult to balance each of those three objectives. Estimation results from country-year panel data suggest that declines in minimum wages (or low gross wages) are associated with declines in minimum income protections for the jobless.
When growth in minimum income protections does exceed growth in low gross wages, we find that welfare states also increase gross-to-net effort to subsidise the net income of low-wage earners.
We argue that these findings point towards a ‘structural inadequacy’ around minimum income protections for the jobless.
Labels:
inequality, minimum_income_protections, poverty, social_policy, welfare_state_change,
Friday, 19 June 2020
How can you persuade me online? The impact of goal-driven motivations on attention to online information
an article by Sarah Taylor (University of South Wales, Pontypridd, UK; Cardiff Metropolitan University, Llandaff Campus, Cardiff, UK) and Martin Graff and Rachel Taylor (University of South Wales, Pontypridd, UK) published in Computers in Human Behavior Volume 105 (April 2020)
Highlights
Abstract
Individuals are increasingly using the internet to communicate online with many of their interactions being persuasive. Whilst there is some evidence to suggest that persuasion can occur online it is still unclear as to the underlying mechanisms driving this process.
The current study aims to address this by examining individuals’ attention to, and motivations to process, online information.
To achieve this, an information recall paradigm was adopted whereby an undergraduate student sample (n = 91) were asked to recall information which had been presented to them in pre-scripted personally-relevant scenarios.
Results identified that peripheral (e.g. contextual) cues activated goal-driven motivations significantly increasing attention to message content (i.e. central information) when personal benefits were implied. Conversely, when personal costs were implied these effects were reversed and information processing significantly attenuated.
These results serve to reinforce the notion that online information processing is motivated by goal-driven behaviour and are the first to identify how goals impact on information processing. The findings have implications for both organisations and individuals who use the internet for persuasive purposes (e.g. political campaigning) and are discussed in relation to the dominant theories of persuasion and how they can explain online persuasion.
Labels:
online_persuasion, goal-driven, motivation_to_process, context, cues, attention,
Highlights
- Online persuasive information processing is motivated by goal-driven behaviour.
- Attention to message content occurs when goal attainment evidence is conveyed.
- Contextual cues activate goal-driven motivations for online information processing.
- Personal benefits implied by contextual cues increase attention to message content.
- Personal costs implied by situational cues attenuate persuasive message processing.
Abstract
Individuals are increasingly using the internet to communicate online with many of their interactions being persuasive. Whilst there is some evidence to suggest that persuasion can occur online it is still unclear as to the underlying mechanisms driving this process.
The current study aims to address this by examining individuals’ attention to, and motivations to process, online information.
To achieve this, an information recall paradigm was adopted whereby an undergraduate student sample (n = 91) were asked to recall information which had been presented to them in pre-scripted personally-relevant scenarios.
Results identified that peripheral (e.g. contextual) cues activated goal-driven motivations significantly increasing attention to message content (i.e. central information) when personal benefits were implied. Conversely, when personal costs were implied these effects were reversed and information processing significantly attenuated.
These results serve to reinforce the notion that online information processing is motivated by goal-driven behaviour and are the first to identify how goals impact on information processing. The findings have implications for both organisations and individuals who use the internet for persuasive purposes (e.g. political campaigning) and are discussed in relation to the dominant theories of persuasion and how they can explain online persuasion.
Labels:
online_persuasion, goal-driven, motivation_to_process, context, cues, attention,
Tuesday, 16 June 2020
Cities and the Anthropocene: Urban governance for the new era of regenerative cities
an article by Giles Thomson and Peter Newman (Curtin University, Australia) published in Urban Studies Volume 57 Issue 7 (May 2020)
Abstract
The emerging ‘grand challenges’ of climate change, resource scarcity and population growth present a risk nexus to cities in the Anthropocene.
This article discusses the potential that rapid urbanisation presents to help mitigate these risks through large-scale transitions if future urban development is delivered using evidence-based policies that promote regenerative urban outcomes (e.g. decarbonising energy, recycling water and waste, generating local food, integrating biodiversity).
Observations from an Australian case study are used to describe urban governance approaches capable of supporting regenerative urbanism. The regenerative urbanism concept is associated with macro-scale urban and transport planning that shapes different urban fabrics (walking, transit, automobile), as the underlying infrastructure of each fabric exhibits a different performance, with automobile fabric being the least regenerative.
Supporting urban systems based upon regenerative design principles at different scales (macro, meso and micro) can deliver deep and dramatic outcomes for not just reducing the impact of the grand challenges but turning them into regenerative change. In combination, these approaches form the cornerstone of regenerative cities that can address the grand challenges of the Anthropocene, while simultaneously improving livability and urban productivity to foster human flourishing.
Labels:Anthropocene, regenerative _cities, regenerative_design, urban_fabrics, urban_governance, urban_transitions,
Abstract
The emerging ‘grand challenges’ of climate change, resource scarcity and population growth present a risk nexus to cities in the Anthropocene.
This article discusses the potential that rapid urbanisation presents to help mitigate these risks through large-scale transitions if future urban development is delivered using evidence-based policies that promote regenerative urban outcomes (e.g. decarbonising energy, recycling water and waste, generating local food, integrating biodiversity).
Observations from an Australian case study are used to describe urban governance approaches capable of supporting regenerative urbanism. The regenerative urbanism concept is associated with macro-scale urban and transport planning that shapes different urban fabrics (walking, transit, automobile), as the underlying infrastructure of each fabric exhibits a different performance, with automobile fabric being the least regenerative.
Supporting urban systems based upon regenerative design principles at different scales (macro, meso and micro) can deliver deep and dramatic outcomes for not just reducing the impact of the grand challenges but turning them into regenerative change. In combination, these approaches form the cornerstone of regenerative cities that can address the grand challenges of the Anthropocene, while simultaneously improving livability and urban productivity to foster human flourishing.
Labels:Anthropocene, regenerative _cities, regenerative_design, urban_fabrics, urban_governance, urban_transitions,
Why the paradigm of work–family conflict is no longer sustainable: Towards more empowering social imaginaries to understand women's identities
an article by Laura Grünberg and Ștefania Matei (University of Bucharest, Romania) published in Gender, Work and Organizaion) Volume 27 Issue 3 (May 2020)
Abstract
The paradigm of work–family conflict is challenged by the fluid realities of the actual world. Through an innovative phenomenographic study of women's understanding of their lives, we show that the social imaginary of work–family conflict assumes that vulnerability is a constitutive reality for women.
Consequently, with respect to the perspectives through which women are invited to make sense of their lives, the metaphor of conflict enforces a worldview based on traditional gender roles.
Organisational policies that rely heavily on a social imaginary of work–family conflict may prove ineffective. On the one hand, they ignore the diversity of morphologies and vocabularies used by women today to understand themselves in relation to their family and workplace. On the other, work–family conflict arises as a product of policy measures and bureaucratic practices rather than as an experiential reality.
Policy statements on work–family conflict have a performative character: they communicate a message about women's social status and identity. Therefore, effective organisational policies should integrate vocabularies and assumptions that make women aware of themselves in a confident manner by relying on social imaginaries that encourage agency and empowered participation in the world.
Labels:
gender_identity, phenomenographic_research, social_imaginary, vocabularies_of_motives, work-family_conflict,
Abstract
The paradigm of work–family conflict is challenged by the fluid realities of the actual world. Through an innovative phenomenographic study of women's understanding of their lives, we show that the social imaginary of work–family conflict assumes that vulnerability is a constitutive reality for women.
Consequently, with respect to the perspectives through which women are invited to make sense of their lives, the metaphor of conflict enforces a worldview based on traditional gender roles.
Organisational policies that rely heavily on a social imaginary of work–family conflict may prove ineffective. On the one hand, they ignore the diversity of morphologies and vocabularies used by women today to understand themselves in relation to their family and workplace. On the other, work–family conflict arises as a product of policy measures and bureaucratic practices rather than as an experiential reality.
Policy statements on work–family conflict have a performative character: they communicate a message about women's social status and identity. Therefore, effective organisational policies should integrate vocabularies and assumptions that make women aware of themselves in a confident manner by relying on social imaginaries that encourage agency and empowered participation in the world.
Labels:
gender_identity, phenomenographic_research, social_imaginary, vocabularies_of_motives, work-family_conflict,
Morality within the limits of practical reason: a critique of Kant’s concept of moral virtue
an article by Edward Uzoma Ezedike (University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria) published in International Journal of Ethics and Systems Volume 36 Issue 2 (2020)
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate Kant’s idea of grounding morality within the limits of practical reason. Kant argues that morality must be devoid of emotions if the authors must make the right decisions. His idea of morality is basically ratiocentric. This paper, therefore, seeks a justification of Kant’s ratiocentricism, which excludes subjective emotional dimensions in moral actions and judgements.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a critical and analytic method of research. It is not empirical research, and hence, does not make use of tables and quantifiable data. The methodology is exclusively qualitative in nature.
Findings
The major finding of this research work is that an application of practical reason is necessary for the moral agency but it is not a sufficient condition for moral agency. The existential realities demand a synthetic application of reason and emotion in moral issues. So then, a good will is determined by the rational principle. The reason is an organic whole that is capable of functioning both practically and theoretically. The practical reason is not reasoned functioning to acquire knowledge but reason operating as a guide and as the directing force of the will. The application of pure, practical reason and relevant emotional considerations is both necessary and sufficient for moral agency.
Originality/value
This paper is the outcome of deep critical reflections on Kant’s moral philosophy by the author.
Labels:
virtue, emotion, morality, reason, pure_reason, moral_virtue,
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate Kant’s idea of grounding morality within the limits of practical reason. Kant argues that morality must be devoid of emotions if the authors must make the right decisions. His idea of morality is basically ratiocentric. This paper, therefore, seeks a justification of Kant’s ratiocentricism, which excludes subjective emotional dimensions in moral actions and judgements.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a critical and analytic method of research. It is not empirical research, and hence, does not make use of tables and quantifiable data. The methodology is exclusively qualitative in nature.
Findings
The major finding of this research work is that an application of practical reason is necessary for the moral agency but it is not a sufficient condition for moral agency. The existential realities demand a synthetic application of reason and emotion in moral issues. So then, a good will is determined by the rational principle. The reason is an organic whole that is capable of functioning both practically and theoretically. The practical reason is not reasoned functioning to acquire knowledge but reason operating as a guide and as the directing force of the will. The application of pure, practical reason and relevant emotional considerations is both necessary and sufficient for moral agency.
Originality/value
This paper is the outcome of deep critical reflections on Kant’s moral philosophy by the author.
Labels:
virtue, emotion, morality, reason, pure_reason, moral_virtue,
No automation please, we’re British: technology and the prospects for work
an article by David Spencer and Gary Slater (University of Leeds, UK) published in Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society Volume 13 Issue 1 (March 2020)
Abstract
This article assesses the impact and probably limits of automation. It looks, in particular, at the case of the UK economy.
The prospects for automation are seen as necessarily uncertain and potentially regressive in their effects, with technology likely to sustain a large number of low-quality jobs.
The deep-seated problems of the UK economy – low-investment, low-productivity and low-real wages – are seen as key impediments to forms of automation that work for all in society. It is argued that, without wider institutional reform, the UK will be unable to reap the full potential of automation.
JEL Classification: J81, J88, O33
Full text (PDF 18pp)
Labels
automation, robots, work, investment, technology,
Abstract
This article assesses the impact and probably limits of automation. It looks, in particular, at the case of the UK economy.
The prospects for automation are seen as necessarily uncertain and potentially regressive in their effects, with technology likely to sustain a large number of low-quality jobs.
The deep-seated problems of the UK economy – low-investment, low-productivity and low-real wages – are seen as key impediments to forms of automation that work for all in society. It is argued that, without wider institutional reform, the UK will be unable to reap the full potential of automation.
JEL Classification: J81, J88, O33
Full text (PDF 18pp)
Labels
automation, robots, work, investment, technology,
Monday, 15 June 2020
Lonely together? Identifying the determinants of collective corrective action against uncivil comments
an article by Marc Ziegele (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany), Teresa K Naab (University of Augsburg, Germany) and Pablo Jost (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany) published in New Media and Society Volume 22 Issue 5 (May 2020)
Abstract
Journalists, scholars, and citizens have raised concerns regarding the high share of incivility in comment sections of news outlets. The current study surveyed members of the social movement #ichbinhier, which aims at collectively countering uncivil comments to cultivate a civil discussion atmosphere in comment sections.
We root the activities of #ichbinhier as corrective action and identify the determinants of the members’ engagement by integrating research on bystander behaviour and collective action.
The findings of our survey show that factors pertaining to individual skills, perceived responsibility, and expected benefits relate to the members’ likelihood to engage against uncivil online comments.
Regarding factors derived from collective action research, group efficacy and knowledge of the rules and structures of the movement account for higher levels of engagement.
These results shed light on the factors that motivate and inhibit #ichbinhier members – and, potentially, Facebook users in general – to engage against uncivil comments.
Labels:
bystander_behaviour, collective_action, corrective_action, counter-speech, online_comments, #ichbinhier,
Abstract
Journalists, scholars, and citizens have raised concerns regarding the high share of incivility in comment sections of news outlets. The current study surveyed members of the social movement #ichbinhier, which aims at collectively countering uncivil comments to cultivate a civil discussion atmosphere in comment sections.
We root the activities of #ichbinhier as corrective action and identify the determinants of the members’ engagement by integrating research on bystander behaviour and collective action.
The findings of our survey show that factors pertaining to individual skills, perceived responsibility, and expected benefits relate to the members’ likelihood to engage against uncivil online comments.
Regarding factors derived from collective action research, group efficacy and knowledge of the rules and structures of the movement account for higher levels of engagement.
These results shed light on the factors that motivate and inhibit #ichbinhier members – and, potentially, Facebook users in general – to engage against uncivil comments.
Labels:
bystander_behaviour, collective_action, corrective_action, counter-speech, online_comments, #ichbinhier,
Friday, 12 June 2020
Income inequality in the post-2000 era: Development, globalization, and the state
an article by Rob Clark (University of Oklahoma, USA) published in International Sociology Volume 35 Issue 3 (May 2020)
Abstract
During the late 20th century, income inequality rose in most countries around the world, and by a substantial amount in some cases. By contrast, income disparities have stabilised during the post-2000 era, and have even begun to decline in a small majority of states.
What accounts for this recent change?
Unfortunately, existing work is not well-positioned to address this question.
Researchers commonly restrict their attention to affluent nations or use empirical models that have not kept pace with either the changing landscape or the availability of newer measures, all of which suggests a path forward in this area of research.
This article focuses on the post-2000 era, drawing from a large global sample (1284 observations across 129 states), while utilising novel measures that better reflect the contemporary period. The study reports results from Prais–Winsten regression with panel-corrected standard errors and two-way fixed effects.
The models show that income inequality is shaped by the major employment sectors (agriculture, industry, and services), the relative supply of unskilled/skilled labour (as indicated by population growth and tertiary school enrolment, respectively), globalisation (international trade and migration), state characteristics (the size of government and regulation of labour), gender dynamics (female participation in paid work and government), and the unemployment rate.
In sum, the results reveal a set of equalising and disequalising factors that shape each country’s income distribution.
Labels:cross-national, development, inequality,
Abstract
During the late 20th century, income inequality rose in most countries around the world, and by a substantial amount in some cases. By contrast, income disparities have stabilised during the post-2000 era, and have even begun to decline in a small majority of states.
What accounts for this recent change?
Unfortunately, existing work is not well-positioned to address this question.
Researchers commonly restrict their attention to affluent nations or use empirical models that have not kept pace with either the changing landscape or the availability of newer measures, all of which suggests a path forward in this area of research.
This article focuses on the post-2000 era, drawing from a large global sample (1284 observations across 129 states), while utilising novel measures that better reflect the contemporary period. The study reports results from Prais–Winsten regression with panel-corrected standard errors and two-way fixed effects.
The models show that income inequality is shaped by the major employment sectors (agriculture, industry, and services), the relative supply of unskilled/skilled labour (as indicated by population growth and tertiary school enrolment, respectively), globalisation (international trade and migration), state characteristics (the size of government and regulation of labour), gender dynamics (female participation in paid work and government), and the unemployment rate.
In sum, the results reveal a set of equalising and disequalising factors that shape each country’s income distribution.
Labels:cross-national, development, inequality,
Saturday, 6 June 2020
Urban growth strategies in rural regions: building The North Wales Growth Deal
an article by David Beel (Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, UK), Martin Jones (Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK) and Alex Plows (Bangor University, UK) published in Regional Studies Volume 54 Issue 5 (May 2020)
Abstract
This paper discusses the creation of a growth deal for North Wales (The North Wales Growth Deal – NWGD). North Wales is primarily a rural region within the UK, without a core-city or large metropolitan centre.
The paper examines how this urban dynamic, fostered around a pushing of the agglomerative growth model out of the city-region, is being transferred largely across rural space and place in terms of how growth is envisioned and how policy is implemented. It contributes to regional studies knowledge by raising the importance of the non-metropolitan city-regional alternatives in the context of the (academic and policy) city-regional debate.
JEL Classification: G38
Full text (PDF 14pp)
Labels:
economic_governance, devolution, Wales,
Abstract
This paper discusses the creation of a growth deal for North Wales (The North Wales Growth Deal – NWGD). North Wales is primarily a rural region within the UK, without a core-city or large metropolitan centre.
The paper examines how this urban dynamic, fostered around a pushing of the agglomerative growth model out of the city-region, is being transferred largely across rural space and place in terms of how growth is envisioned and how policy is implemented. It contributes to regional studies knowledge by raising the importance of the non-metropolitan city-regional alternatives in the context of the (academic and policy) city-regional debate.
JEL Classification: G38
Full text (PDF 14pp)
Labels:
economic_governance, devolution, Wales,
‘Confident’ and ‘hot’ or ‘desperate’ and ‘cowardly’? Meanings of young men’s sexting practices in youth sexting culture
an article by Emily Setty (University of Surrey, Guildford, UK) published in Journal of Youth Studies Volume 23 Issue 5 (2020)
Abstract
Young men tend to be constructed as being at low risk of harm and able to extract value from sexting, compared to young women.
Drawing upon findings from a qualitative study exploring practices and perceptions of sexting among 14–18 year-old participants in southeast England, I discuss the meanings and norms surrounding young men’s sexting practices.
I outline how these meanings and norms underpinned perceptions regarding the value available to young men through sexting. Young men were not, however, equally able to extract value and social capital through sexting, and participants discussed examples of the social shaming of young men who sext.
I discuss how young men took up diverse positions with regard to masculine heterosexuality within youth sexting culture, in which they reworked and challenged the ideals and assumptions inherent to ‘hegemonic masculinity’.
I draw two conclusions: firstly, it should not be assumed that young men are inherently able to gain value through sexting; secondly, narratives of risk and shame may mean that while young men distance themselves from sexting, gendered assumptions and inequalities regarding bodily and sexual expression remain.
Full text (PDF 18pp)
Labels:
sexting, young_people, masculinity, sexism, shame, qualitative,
Abstract
Young men tend to be constructed as being at low risk of harm and able to extract value from sexting, compared to young women.
Drawing upon findings from a qualitative study exploring practices and perceptions of sexting among 14–18 year-old participants in southeast England, I discuss the meanings and norms surrounding young men’s sexting practices.
I outline how these meanings and norms underpinned perceptions regarding the value available to young men through sexting. Young men were not, however, equally able to extract value and social capital through sexting, and participants discussed examples of the social shaming of young men who sext.
I discuss how young men took up diverse positions with regard to masculine heterosexuality within youth sexting culture, in which they reworked and challenged the ideals and assumptions inherent to ‘hegemonic masculinity’.
I draw two conclusions: firstly, it should not be assumed that young men are inherently able to gain value through sexting; secondly, narratives of risk and shame may mean that while young men distance themselves from sexting, gendered assumptions and inequalities regarding bodily and sexual expression remain.
Full text (PDF 18pp)
Labels:
sexting, young_people, masculinity, sexism, shame, qualitative,
Friday, 5 June 2020
The influence of spatial distance and signaling on the split-attention effect
an article by Sven Cammeraat, Gertjan Rop and Bjorn B. de Koning (Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands) published in Computers in Human Behavior Volume 105 (April 2020)
Highlights
Abstract
The split-attention effect seems a robust finding in the literature and shows that complex learning materials consisting of text and pictures lead to better learning when they are spatially integrated instead of spatially separated.
In the current study, two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of distance and signalling on the split-attention effect. In Experiment 1, a 2 × 2 design was used in which spatial distance (large vs. small) and signalling (signalling vs. no signalling) were manipulated, while in Experiment 2 it was tried to replicate the split-attention effect previously observed with the learning materials used in Experiment 1.
In contrast to our hypotheses, spatial distance and signalling did not influence mental effort ratings and transfer performance in Experiment 1.
Moreover, no split-attention effect was found on retention, transfer or mental effort ratings in Experiment 2.
As no split-attention effect was obtained with the learning materials, it is not possible to examine the effects of distance and signalling on the split-attention effect. Concluding, the current results raise doubts about how robust the split-attention effect is, and demonstrate the importance of replication studies.
Labels:
split-attention_effect, cognitive_load_theory, signalling, spatial_distance, educational_psychology,
Highlights
- Two experiments examined learning from spatially separated text and pictures.
- In Experiment 1 increased distance and signaling did not influence learning.
- Experiment 2 found no benefits of spatially integrating text and picture.
- Apparently spatial separation does not always impede text-picture learning.
Abstract
The split-attention effect seems a robust finding in the literature and shows that complex learning materials consisting of text and pictures lead to better learning when they are spatially integrated instead of spatially separated.
In the current study, two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of distance and signalling on the split-attention effect. In Experiment 1, a 2 × 2 design was used in which spatial distance (large vs. small) and signalling (signalling vs. no signalling) were manipulated, while in Experiment 2 it was tried to replicate the split-attention effect previously observed with the learning materials used in Experiment 1.
In contrast to our hypotheses, spatial distance and signalling did not influence mental effort ratings and transfer performance in Experiment 1.
Moreover, no split-attention effect was found on retention, transfer or mental effort ratings in Experiment 2.
As no split-attention effect was obtained with the learning materials, it is not possible to examine the effects of distance and signalling on the split-attention effect. Concluding, the current results raise doubts about how robust the split-attention effect is, and demonstrate the importance of replication studies.
Labels:
split-attention_effect, cognitive_load_theory, signalling, spatial_distance, educational_psychology,
Thursday, 4 June 2020
Hacking surveillance
Mareile Kaufmann (University of Oslo, Sweden) published in First Monday Volume 25 Number 5 (May 2020)
Abstract
With the rise of ‘Internet behemoths’ and the surveillance of increasingly personal domains there is a trend toward questioning life online.
This paper draws attention to hacking practices that engage with the diverse faces of online veillance. Current debates about hacking surveillance are introduced. Instead of portraying hacking as a digital counterculture, the article complicates dichotomies of power vs. resistance, online vs. off-line, and technological system vs. social practice.
Based on qualitative interviews, it introduces the diverse, dialogical and ambiguous hacking practices that answer online surveillance. The article suggests using the concept of dispute to capture these multiplicities and to understand the ‘orders of worth’ at stake in online environments.
The small, continuous and constitutive dynamics of disputing online surveillance not only create political momentum, but call for a re-thinking of the totality of surveillance metaphors used today.
Full text (HTML)
Labels:
digital_technology, surveillance, dispute, hackers, Internet, assemblage,
Abstract
With the rise of ‘Internet behemoths’ and the surveillance of increasingly personal domains there is a trend toward questioning life online.
This paper draws attention to hacking practices that engage with the diverse faces of online veillance. Current debates about hacking surveillance are introduced. Instead of portraying hacking as a digital counterculture, the article complicates dichotomies of power vs. resistance, online vs. off-line, and technological system vs. social practice.
Based on qualitative interviews, it introduces the diverse, dialogical and ambiguous hacking practices that answer online surveillance. The article suggests using the concept of dispute to capture these multiplicities and to understand the ‘orders of worth’ at stake in online environments.
The small, continuous and constitutive dynamics of disputing online surveillance not only create political momentum, but call for a re-thinking of the totality of surveillance metaphors used today.
Full text (HTML)
Labels:
digital_technology, surveillance, dispute, hackers, Internet, assemblage,
Wednesday, 3 June 2020
Fearing Food: The Influence of Risk Perceptions on Public Preferences for Uniform and Centralized Risk Regulation
an article by Cherie Maestas, Jacqueline Chattopadhyay, Suzanne Leland and Jaclyn Piatak (University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA) published in Policy Studies Journal Volume 48 Issue 2 (May 2020)
Abstract
Public opinion features prominently in policy research because it sets bounds on the definition of policy problems and acceptable policy solutions. We contend that public opinion is also important for setting bounds on the level of government at which policy hazards are regulated by shaping preferences for uniformity of regulation and, relatedly, preferences for centralisation.
We offer a theoretical argument for why risk creates pressures for uniform standards and examine the extent to which preferences for uniformity and centralisation are the product of fairly stable individual‐level predispositions (e.g. partisanship and ideology) versus more fluid attitudes like perceptions of risk, which vary in response to crises, new information, and issue framing.
We test our argument using survey data in the policy domain of food safety and find that individuals who anticipate greater risk from food‐borne illness prefer more uniform food safety regulation, which translates into preferences for federal‐level policy-making.
Our results imply that contextual circumstances and strategic communications that influence risk perceptions can create not only generalised public demand for more regulatory policy but specific demand for uniform, centralised regulation.
Full text (PDF 22pp)
Labels:
risk_perception, public_opinion, food_policy, federalism, centralisation, uniform_regulation, government_trust, policy_venue, public_policy,
Abstract
Public opinion features prominently in policy research because it sets bounds on the definition of policy problems and acceptable policy solutions. We contend that public opinion is also important for setting bounds on the level of government at which policy hazards are regulated by shaping preferences for uniformity of regulation and, relatedly, preferences for centralisation.
We offer a theoretical argument for why risk creates pressures for uniform standards and examine the extent to which preferences for uniformity and centralisation are the product of fairly stable individual‐level predispositions (e.g. partisanship and ideology) versus more fluid attitudes like perceptions of risk, which vary in response to crises, new information, and issue framing.
We test our argument using survey data in the policy domain of food safety and find that individuals who anticipate greater risk from food‐borne illness prefer more uniform food safety regulation, which translates into preferences for federal‐level policy-making.
Our results imply that contextual circumstances and strategic communications that influence risk perceptions can create not only generalised public demand for more regulatory policy but specific demand for uniform, centralised regulation.
Full text (PDF 22pp)
Labels:
risk_perception, public_opinion, food_policy, federalism, centralisation, uniform_regulation, government_trust, policy_venue, public_policy,
Tuesday, 2 June 2020
Lad culture as a sticky atmosphere: navigating sexism and misogyny in the UK's student-centred nighttime economy
an article by Silvia Diaz-Fernandez and Adrienne Evans (Coventry University, UK) published in Gender, Place and Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography Volume 27 Issue 5 (May 2020)
Abstract
‘Lad culture’ has become a popular term for making sense of sexism, misogyny and sexual harassment in Higher Education in the UK.
However, a gap exists in understanding student negotiations of the nighttime economy, and how spatial elements shape the affective dimensions of lad culture experiences.
In this article, we offer the concept of ‘sticky atmospheres’, a combination of Sara Ahmed’s ‘sticky affects’ and Ben Anderson’s ‘affective atmospheres’.
We demonstrate the usefulness of ‘sticky atmospheres’ by analysing data produced in co-operative inquiry-inspired discussions with a Student Union ‘Gender Society’. In doing so, we offer an understanding of the student-centred nighttime economy through participants’ accounts of proximity to the sticky object, described as a pervasive atmosphere. However, we also explore the potential for atmospheric change.
Labels:
affect, lad_culture, nighttime_economy, sexism,
Abstract
‘Lad culture’ has become a popular term for making sense of sexism, misogyny and sexual harassment in Higher Education in the UK.
However, a gap exists in understanding student negotiations of the nighttime economy, and how spatial elements shape the affective dimensions of lad culture experiences.
In this article, we offer the concept of ‘sticky atmospheres’, a combination of Sara Ahmed’s ‘sticky affects’ and Ben Anderson’s ‘affective atmospheres’.
We demonstrate the usefulness of ‘sticky atmospheres’ by analysing data produced in co-operative inquiry-inspired discussions with a Student Union ‘Gender Society’. In doing so, we offer an understanding of the student-centred nighttime economy through participants’ accounts of proximity to the sticky object, described as a pervasive atmosphere. However, we also explore the potential for atmospheric change.
Labels:
affect, lad_culture, nighttime_economy, sexism,
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