Department of Politics, People & Place
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Item Metadata only The 1998 parliamentary election in Latvia(Butterwoth-Heinemann, 2001) Davies, Philip; Ozolins, A. V.Item Open Access The 2015 regional election in Italy: fragmentation and crisis of sub-national representative democracy(Taylor & Francis, 2015-08-14) Vampa, DavideIn May 2015, voters in seven Italian regions went to the polls to elect new regional councils and governments. The final election result was apparently similar to that of 2010: centre-left coalitions won in five out of seven regions, like in the previous election, leaving the remaining two to the centre-right. Yet behind this picture of stability, dramatic changes have occurred in the internal composition of regional coalitions, cross-party equilibriums and levels of participation. Generally, regional party-based democracy seems to be experiencing increasing fragmentation and a crisis of representation and legitimacy.Item Open Access The 2021 Metro Mayors Elections: LocalismRebooted?(Wiley, 2021-08) Giovannini, AriannaMetro mayors are the latest addition to the complex jigsaw of subnational governance inEngland, and were introduced from 2014 to lead, allegedly, a‘devolution revolution’. This articlefocusses on the 2021 election to reflect on the roots andfirst mandate of these new mayors, tounderstand how they fared at the ballot box, and to assess whether and in what ways they aremaking an impact. The analysis shows that metro mayors are maturing as institutions, and theyare becoming more rooted in the public imagination. Harnessing‘the power of place’was a keydriver of success: some metro mayors have shown a potential to‘reboot localism’and, with it,devolution. However, resistance from central government to let go of power persists and couldhinder both the metro mayors’and the devolution agendas going forward.Item Open Access The 2022 Italian general election: a political shock or the new normal?(Firenze University Press, 2021-06-09) Giovannini, Arianna; Valbruzzi, Marco; Vampa, DavideThis introduction to the special issue places the 2022 Italian general election within the recent electoral history of Italy and the broader European context. Following the same multidimensional structure adopted for this collection of articles, here we address general questions regarding the significance of the last election, its dynamics, and implications. Firstly, to what extent did it represent a change compared to previous Italian elections? Secondly, can Italy still be regarded as an anomaly in the European context? Have the 2022 results widened or narrowed the political gap between the country and its neighbours? By providing a longitudinal and cross-sectional overview, our aim is to suggest some interpretative keys, which, in conjunction with the rich data presented and discussed by the authors of each article, may enable readers to draw general lessons about recent developments in Italian and European politics. Our overall argument is that, while clearly significant in its political implications – producing the most ideologically right-wing government in republican history led by the first female prime minister –, the 2022 general election did not represent a radical change from previous Italian elections. Instead, it marked a further step in the emergence of a ‘new political normal’ characterised by volatility, fragmentation, mainstreaming of populist ideas and actors, polarisation and the reframing of socio-economic and socio-cultural cleavages. Additionally, while Italy can be regarded as the most advanced manifestation of these transformations, we observe similar shifts in most Western European countries, indicating that their seemingly unshakable stability is now in question.Item Embargo A Multi Objective Perspective to Satellite Design and Reliability Optimization(Elsevier, 2024-01-22) Tetik, Taha; Das, Gulesin Sena; Birgoren, BurakDevelopment of a communication satellite project is highly complicated and expensive which costs a few hun dred million dollars depending on the mission in space. Once a satellite is launched into orbit, it has to operate in harsh environmental conditions including radiation, solar activity, meteorites, and extreme weather patterns. Since there is no possibility of physical maintenance intervention in space, reliability is a critical attribute for all space and satellite projects. Therefore, the redundancy philosophy and reliability measures are taken into ac count in the design phase of a satellite to prevent the loss of functionality in case of a failure in orbit. This study aims to optimize the payload design of a communication satellite by considering the system’s reliability, power consumption and cost simultaneously. Since these objectives are conflicting in their nature, a multi-objective optimization approach is proposed. We offer a systematic approach to the satellite design by determining the best redundancy strategy considering contradictory objectives and onboard constraints in the multibillion-dollar satellite industry. The proposed approach promotes trade-offs and sensitivity analyses between cost, power consumption and system reliability in the early design phase of satellites using Compromise Programming. By using different sets of weights for the objectives in our model, it is possible to address different types of satellites depending on their mission and priorities. Because of the NP-Hard characteristics of the reliability optimization problem and the nonlinear equation in the proposed model, the Simulated Annealing algorithm is utilized to solve the problem. As a case analysis, the implementation is carried out on the design of a communication satellite system with active hot-standby and warm-standby onboard redundancy schemes. Results reveal that huge savings in million dollars can be attained as a result of approximately 5% reduction in reliability.Item Embargo Abortion and same-sex marriage: how are non-sectarian controversial issues discussed in Northern Irish politics?(Taylor and Francis, 2015-11-13) Thomson, JenniferItem Metadata only Accountability in the environmental crisis: From microsocial practices to moral orders(Wiley, 2023-11-05) Lidskog, Rolf; Standring, AdamThe global environmental crisis is the result of a complex web of causation and distributed agency, where not even the most powerful individual actors can be considered responsible nor remedy the situation alone. This has prompted multiple calls across societies for transformative social change. What role can accountability play in this context? Starting in the theoretical traditions of microsociology and pragmatic sociology, this article elaborates the role of accountability in social interactions. To provide an account that justifies an action or inaction is here understood as a process of social ordering, where accounts are assessed as acceptable only after they have been tested against higher normative principles. Microsocial practices are, in this way, linked to macrosocial order. The following section turns to the global environmental crisis, showing that the crisis raises normative as well as epistemic challenges. The complexity of the socio‐environmental situation makes it hard to know what should be done and opens normative orders and epistemic claims to contestation. This situation provides increased opportunities for strategic maneuvering to justify actions as well as opportunities to question social practices and social order. The article concludes by discussing the role of accountability in climate change. Accountability can serve as a mechanism to attach issues to the current environmental crisis and re‐embed decisions and practice in an environmental moral order. As part of a broader palette of instruments, rules and norms, accountability has an important function to play in transforming society towards sustainability.Item Metadata only Accountable, authorized or authentic? What do 'faith representatives' offer urban governance?(Routledge, 2009) Chapman, R. C.; Lowndes, VivienItem Open Access Accounting for Accounting’s Role in the Neoliberalisation Processes of Social Housing in England: A Bourdieusian Perspective(Elsevier, 2018-07-17) Ejiogu, Chibuzo; Ejiogu, Amanze; Ambituuni, AmbisisiAbstract This paper seeks to account for how accounting is implicated in the neoliberalization processes of social housing in England. It adopts a processual view which instead of conceptualizing neoliberalism as static and ‘end-state’, views it as a dynamic process of neoliberalization. We draw upon Bourdieu’s notions of field, capital and habitus to frame our study. We focus on reform of the regulation of social housing in England during the period 2006–2016. We show that the process of neoliberalization of social housing in England was instigated by the state’s intervention to change the structure of the field in terms of norms, power relations and positions of players on the field. These changes brought about simultaneous changes in the habitus of the field as well as the structure and habitus of Housing Associations as sub-fields. We demonstrate how these changes create and reproduce a new system of domination where the tenant is the dominated player. We highlight the role accounting played in these changes in terms of being used as a tool by the regulator to achieve social control and drive change within Housing Associations and by the Housing Associations to evidence conformity with the new norms and adaptation.Item Open Access Accounting professionals and CPD: attitudes and engagement - some survey evidence.(Routledge, 2007-03) Rothwell, Andrew; Herbert, IanItem Metadata only Active citizenship: navigating the Conservative heartlands of the New Labour project(Policy Press, 2012-01) Davies, Jonathan S.Item Open Access Adapting to Europe(Routledge, 2002) Blair, AlasdairOne of the most noticeable features of recent studies of European integration has been the growth in the number of publications that have focused on the impact that membership of the European Union has had on its member states. One element of this has been the emergence of a significant body of work that has been concerned with domestic patterns of adjustment, thereby helping to address an important gap in the literature (Knill and Lehmkuhl, 1999: 1; Börzel and Risse, 2000: 1). In this sense, it is striking that the majority of the EU literature has tended to focus on developments at the European level rather than paying attention to developments at the domestic level and in particular the impact of European integration. And those studies which have sought to examine the nature of a member state’s relationship with the EU have principally charted the negotiating stance taken by government in a historical perspective. This is significantly different from offering an analytical review of the extent to which European integration has impacted on member states, for example on the activities of government. This is a point of which Claudio Radaelli is perfectly aware: ‘Europe matters, but how? The political systems of the European Union (EU) member states are penetrated by European policies, but what is the effect of this process? Is Europeanization making the member states more similar? Or do different domestic political structures “refract” Europeanization in different directions? Has “Europe” changed domestic political structure (for example, party systems and public administration) and public policy? If so, what are the mechanisms of change?’ (Radaelli, 2000: 1). This article is concerned with the impact that membership of the European Union has had on member states by examining four books that seek to cast light on the nature of the relationship between the domestic and the EU level. Any book that seeks to investigate the way in which membership of the EU has impacted on member states should be tested against a number of criteria: first, a common framework for analysis; second, is the book written in a manner that provides a coherent account or is it structured in a way that is more reflective of a collection of individual essays; and third, does the book enhance our knowledge of the subject area. In examining the various contributions that comprise these four books, this article is divided into five sections, the first of which looks at the changing character of EU membership. Section two sets these changes within the context of the emergent literature on Europeanization. The third section takes a closer look at the approach and focus deployed in each of the books, while section four examines the extent to which the material adds to our understanding of the relationship between the EU and its member states. The final section notes the overall value of the four books.Item Metadata only Adaptive, reactive and inclusive organisational approaches to workforce flexibility in Europe(2001) Tregaskis, Olga; Brewster, C.Item Open Access Administrative traditions and citizen participation in public policy: a comparative study of France, Germany, the UK and Norway(Ingenta Connect, 2015) Huxley, Katy; Andrews, Rhys; Downe, J.; Guarneros-Meza, ValeriaThe participation of citizens in public policy-making has become a key aim for national and supranational institutions across Europe, but the relative importance policy-makers actually accord citizen participation arguably varies due to the alternative administrative traditions within different countries. Using data drawn from a large-scale survey of senior public managers in France, Germany, the United Kingdom (UK) and Norway, we find support for the idea that administrative tradition influences the participation of citizens in public policy. We also identify key institutional factors determining the importance of citizen participation. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.Item Metadata only Item Metadata only Advancing the common good through business excellence awards: A legitimacy-seeking perspective(Wiley, 2024-10-01) Asante, Shadrack; David, Sarpong; Eunice, Aidoo; Adekunle Isaac OgunsadeCompeting for and winning business excellence awards (BEAs) is essential for firms' long-term performance. However, the role of these BEAs in inspiring good and generating sustainable business practices has often been overlooked. In this article, we draw on the legitimacy-seeking theory to explore the “socially good” transformations firms go through by competing for BEAs. Data for the inquiry come from semi-structured interviews with managers whose firms competed in two BEAs in the United Kingdom. Providing insight into BEAs as a competitive legitimating frame in organizing, our findings shed light on how BEAs may serve as competitive crucibles that provide opportunities for feedback and learning, potentiality for brand positioning, and a possibility for stimulating excellence in the adoption of good business practices. The implications of these findings for the theory and practice of advancing the “common good” are outlined.Item Metadata only The affect heuristic and perceptions of 'the young smoker' as a risk object.(Routledge, 2010) Denscombe, MartynItem Open Access After the applause: Understanding Public Management and Public Service Ethos in the fight against Covid - 19(Public Management Review, 2022-01-20) Shand, Rory; Parker, Steven; Liddle, Joyce; Spolander, Gary; Warwick, Lisa; Ainsworth, SusanCovid-19 has led to renewed public support for public services. Frontline workers symbolise a renewed ideal of public service ethos (PSE), though little attention has been paid to how the public managers delivering vital services interpret and mobilise PSE. We show how PSE is implemented by public managers reflecting their local contexts. We examine the theoretical roots of PSE and challenges by newer theories of public management before illustrating its contemporary manifestations through three case studies of local government responses to Covid-19 in England, showing how PSE has been adapted in current contexts and continues to inform public management practice.Item Open Access Ageing passenger perceptions of ground access journeys to airports: A survey of UK residents(Elsevier, 2022-11-23) Graham, Anne; Budd, Lucy; Ison, Stephen; Willy, Kruse; Kremarik, FrancesIn common with other developed nations, the UK population is ageing. This has impacts on all areas of economic and social activity, including transport and air travel. This paper aims to provide an initial assessment of the ground access journeys to UK airports made by ageing (65+ years) air travellers, a topic hitherto unexplored by the academic research community. Using data from two online surveys (each with 600 respondents) undertaken in 2020 of 1200 different ageing UK residents, this exploratory research reveals that the ease of undertaking the journey and comfort are key factors in determining ground access choice whilst environmental issues play a minimal role. Whilst this paper offers new insights into the ground access journeys of ageing air passengers, it also makes recommendations for future research that needs to be undertaken to further academic understandings of the needs and attitudes of this important, and growing, passenger segment.Item Embargo Agenda Setting and Democratic Innovation: The Case of the Sustainable Communities Act (2007)(SAGE, 2012-01-12) Bua, AdrianThis article suggests that a common feature among democratic innovations is the lack of an agenda setting function. First, it argues that a lack of control over their own agendas opens democratic innovations to manipulation by elites. Second, it argues that democratic innovations focused on setting the policy agendas of public authorities can serve to democratise the policy process by providing citizens with a tool to place issues on the public agenda. The article analyses a series of actual and potential institutional designs that divert from the dominant ‘direct-democratic’ nature of agenda setting innovations. It finishes with a discussion of the UK Sustainable Communities Act (2007), a process designed to allow communities to propose policy to government through their councils.