World Affairs, Ahead of Print.
The party system literature has generally paid little attention to whether traditional beliefs have any impact on voters’ electoral behavior and the stability of party systems. The purpose of the present study shows that the stability of party systems and the pervasiveness of traditional beliefs go hand-in-hand. This article is expected to advance the scholarly understanding of the political consequences of traditional beliefs by showing that voters who hold traditional beliefs or engage in traditional practices are not simply less likely to have pro-democratic attitudes or have a greater appreciation of dictatorial rule, but also more likely to vote for ruling parties in elections. The evidence presented in the article sustains a basic claim; namely, that the pervasiveness of traditional beliefs in Togolese society should be regarded as one of the determinants of the party system's stability.
The Geopolitics in the Global Compacts: Sovereignty, Emerging Norms, and Hypocrisy in Global Migration Governance
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Places of Pain and Spaces of Silence: Re-Visiting a Bosnian Rape Camp
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Nationality Beyond the Nation-State? The Search for Autonomy in Abdullah Öcalan and Otto Bauer
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Color-blind racial ideology and beliefs about environmental inequality among local US government officials
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TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AND SUPPORT FOR THE STRONGMAN
World Affairs, Ahead of Print.
The new modernization theory has suggested that the pervasiveness of traditional values has a clear impact on the quality of democratic governance. In this contribution to this special issue on the political consequences of traditional beliefs, we explore whether and to what extent the pervasiveness of traditional values and beliefs has a detectable impact on authoritarian attitudes. Specifically, we analyze the relationship between the support for a “strongman” and the acceptability of traditional practices for Muslim respondents from 27 jurisdictions. The results suggest that those who believe that traditional practices, such as the use of sorcery, appealing to jinn, and to the souls of ancestors, are acceptable under Islam are more likely to prefer a strongman to democracy. Notably, we found that respondents’ religiosity does not significantly affect their support for a strongman, raising questions about how accurately traditionality has been measured so far.Prácticas tradicionales y apoyo al hombre fuerteLa nueva teoría de la modernización ha sugerido que la omnipresencia de los valores tradicionales tiene un impacto claro en la calidad de la gobernabilidad democrática. En este artículo, exploramos si, y en qué medida, la omnipresencia de los valores y creencias tradicionales tiene un impacto detectable en las actitudes autoritarias. Específicamente, analizamos la relación entre el apoyo a un “hombre fuerte” y la aceptabilidad de las prácticas tradicionales para los encuestados musulmanes de 27 jurisdicciones. Los resultados sugieren que aquellos que creen que las prácticas tradicionales, como el uso de la hechicería, apelando a los genios y a las almas de los antepasados, son aceptables bajo el Islam, son más propensos a preferir un hombre fuerte a la democracia. En particular, la religiosidad de los encuestados no afecta significativamente su apoyo a un hombre fuerte, lo que plantea dudas sobre la precisión con la que se ha medido la tradicionalidad hasta ahora.传统实践和对独裁者的支持新现代化理论认为，传统价值观的普遍性对民主治理质量具有明显影响。本文中，我们探究了传统价值观和信仰的普遍性是否以及在多大程度上对威权态度产生了可察觉的影响。具体而言，我们对来自27个司法管辖区的穆斯林进行调查，分析了对“独裁者”的支持与传统实践的可接受性之间的关系。结果表明，相信在伊斯兰教中可以接受传统实践（例如使用巫术、吸引精灵和祖先灵魂）的那部分人更有可能偏好独裁者而不是民主。值得注意的是，受访者的宗教性并没有显著影响其对独裁者的支持，这引发了对“迄今为止如何准确衡量传统性”一事的质疑。
The new modernization theory has suggested that the pervasiveness of traditional values has a clear impact on the quality of democratic governance. In this contribution to this special issue on the political consequences of traditional beliefs, we explore whether and to what extent the pervasiveness of traditional values and beliefs has a detectable impact on authoritarian attitudes. Specifically, we analyze the relationship between the support for a “strongman” and the acceptability of traditional practices for Muslim respondents from 27 jurisdictions. The results suggest that those who believe that traditional practices, such as the use of sorcery, appealing to jinn, and to the souls of ancestors, are acceptable under Islam are more likely to prefer a strongman to democracy. Notably, we found that respondents’ religiosity does not significantly affect their support for a strongman, raising questions about how accurately traditionality has been measured so far.Prácticas tradicionales y apoyo al hombre fuerteLa nueva teoría de la modernización ha sugerido que la omnipresencia de los valores tradicionales tiene un impacto claro en la calidad de la gobernabilidad democrática. En este artículo, exploramos si, y en qué medida, la omnipresencia de los valores y creencias tradicionales tiene un impacto detectable en las actitudes autoritarias. Específicamente, analizamos la relación entre el apoyo a un “hombre fuerte” y la aceptabilidad de las prácticas tradicionales para los encuestados musulmanes de 27 jurisdicciones. Los resultados sugieren que aquellos que creen que las prácticas tradicionales, como el uso de la hechicería, apelando a los genios y a las almas de los antepasados, son aceptables bajo el Islam, son más propensos a preferir un hombre fuerte a la democracia. En particular, la religiosidad de los encuestados no afecta significativamente su apoyo a un hombre fuerte, lo que plantea dudas sobre la precisión con la que se ha medido la tradicionalidad hasta ahora.传统实践和对独裁者的支持新现代化理论认为，传统价值观的普遍性对民主治理质量具有明显影响。本文中，我们探究了传统价值观和信仰的普遍性是否以及在多大程度上对威权态度产生了可察觉的影响。具体而言，我们对来自27个司法管辖区的穆斯林进行调查，分析了对“独裁者”的支持与传统实践的可接受性之间的关系。结果表明，相信在伊斯兰教中可以接受传统实践（例如使用巫术、吸引精灵和祖先灵魂）的那部分人更有可能偏好独裁者而不是民主。值得注意的是，受访者的宗教性并没有显著影响其对独裁者的支持，这引发了对“迄今为止如何准确衡量传统性”一事的质疑。
Excruciating Journey of Sanitation Workers: Evidence of Mobility and Change from Field
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The article explores approaches adopted by scavengers to protect themselves from stigma and describes how these approaches are temporal and incomplete. It also addresses the perception of scavenger’s son education and social status for their children’s social mobility. Social mobility has been described among scavengers and its relationship with changes that are taking place among the scavengers of Lucknow. A detailed discussion of ‘social mobility’ is carried out in this document supported by empirical data. At the applied level, the present study may help to identify the aspirations and expectations of the scavengers. In other words, it has been provided as an indicator of measuring the desires and efforts of the scavengers for their status in the caste or the class structure or both. In this article, an effort was made at two levels to know the nature of the status identification of the respondents. At one level, they were asked about their interaction with the non-scavenging community of other Scheduled Castes and their interaction pattern with the upper caste. In further analysis, first, this article has discussed occupation followed by mobility, its various forms and its significance in a scavenger’s life and finally focuses on social mobility in the scavengers’ context.
The article explores approaches adopted by scavengers to protect themselves from stigma and describes how these approaches are temporal and incomplete. It also addresses the perception of scavenger’s son education and social status for their children’s social mobility. Social mobility has been described among scavengers and its relationship with changes that are taking place among the scavengers of Lucknow. A detailed discussion of ‘social mobility’ is carried out in this document supported by empirical data. At the applied level, the present study may help to identify the aspirations and expectations of the scavengers. In other words, it has been provided as an indicator of measuring the desires and efforts of the scavengers for their status in the caste or the class structure or both. In this article, an effort was made at two levels to know the nature of the status identification of the respondents. At one level, they were asked about their interaction with the non-scavenging community of other Scheduled Castes and their interaction pattern with the upper caste. In further analysis, first, this article has discussed occupation followed by mobility, its various forms and its significance in a scavenger’s life and finally focuses on social mobility in the scavengers’ context.
Vested Interests and Implementational Issues of the Policy of Social Justice and Development in India: A Critical Review
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
One of the main agendas of our freedom struggle was to have socio-economic freedom and equality for all irrespective of the caste, race, religion, sex or so on. Thus, ever since India got Independence and Constitution of India was enacted, the hopes and aspirations of the weaker sections increased manifold for socio-economic development, social freedom and social transformations. The Government of India too, inspired by the struggle for independence, attempted within its limited economic and other resources to ameliorate the destitute conditions of the downtrodden India, with various plans, schemes and programmes, apart from the socio-economic reservations. In this article, thus, an attempt is being made to examine the developmental process of India with references to the weaker sections such as Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and other backward classes. It is observed from various studies that despite some noble schemes and programmes, the plight of the weaker sections has not transformed into satisfactory levels mainly on account of the failure of implementation process. These issues are critically examined here in this small piece of article.
One of the main agendas of our freedom struggle was to have socio-economic freedom and equality for all irrespective of the caste, race, religion, sex or so on. Thus, ever since India got Independence and Constitution of India was enacted, the hopes and aspirations of the weaker sections increased manifold for socio-economic development, social freedom and social transformations. The Government of India too, inspired by the struggle for independence, attempted within its limited economic and other resources to ameliorate the destitute conditions of the downtrodden India, with various plans, schemes and programmes, apart from the socio-economic reservations. In this article, thus, an attempt is being made to examine the developmental process of India with references to the weaker sections such as Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and other backward classes. It is observed from various studies that despite some noble schemes and programmes, the plight of the weaker sections has not transformed into satisfactory levels mainly on account of the failure of implementation process. These issues are critically examined here in this small piece of article.
Compact colonialism: U.S. neocolonialism in Micronesia in the early twenty-first century
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Top executives’ discretion and organizational performance: Analysis of quasi-governmental organizations in Korean government
International Review of Administrative Sciences, Ahead of Print.
This study has examined the impacts of top executives’ discretion on organizational performance in public organizations. We analyzed longitudinally collected data from quasi-governmental organizations in Korea. The results show that top executives’ managerial discretion has an inverted U-shape relationship with the overall performance of organizations. The marginal effect of top executives’ discretion on organizational performance was negative. This suggests that the benefits from top executives’ discretion decrease as the level of managerial discretion increases. The greater discretion of top executives in project management was more likely to yield desirable outcomes for organizations. Top executives’ discretion did not significantly affect customer satisfaction and transparency of organizations.Points for practitionersThis study has empirically shown that there exists an inverted U-shape relationship between managerial discretion and organizational performance. It is necessary to let public managers exercise their discretion in managing their businesses given that flexibility and innovativeness in decision making serve key roles in effective organizational management in highly turbulent organizational contexts. It will also be important to properly monitor public managers’ discretionary authority to avoid unintended negative consequences of discretion.
This study has examined the impacts of top executives’ discretion on organizational performance in public organizations. We analyzed longitudinally collected data from quasi-governmental organizations in Korea. The results show that top executives’ managerial discretion has an inverted U-shape relationship with the overall performance of organizations. The marginal effect of top executives’ discretion on organizational performance was negative. This suggests that the benefits from top executives’ discretion decrease as the level of managerial discretion increases. The greater discretion of top executives in project management was more likely to yield desirable outcomes for organizations. Top executives’ discretion did not significantly affect customer satisfaction and transparency of organizations.Points for practitionersThis study has empirically shown that there exists an inverted U-shape relationship between managerial discretion and organizational performance. It is necessary to let public managers exercise their discretion in managing their businesses given that flexibility and innovativeness in decision making serve key roles in effective organizational management in highly turbulent organizational contexts. It will also be important to properly monitor public managers’ discretionary authority to avoid unintended negative consequences of discretion.