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AbstractAdults with disabilities have long been at the forefront of disability advocacy in the United States. Grounded in the tenets of radical disability studies and principles of disability justice, this study explored the lived experiences of 12 adults with disabilities, including intellectual disability and developmental disabilities, with a particular focus on self‐advocacy. Two focus groups were primary data sources. Three participants and one university‐based researcher analyzed the data collaboratively. Iterative data collection and analysis yielded 8 primary codes and 22 subcodes. We discuss a subset of our findings, focusing on three major themes. The findings illuminated how adults with disabilities conceptualised self‐advocacy expansively, including self, other, and the collective. Participants also described problems they faced advocating. Finally, adults with disabilities shared solutions to inequities at individual, group, and societal levels. This project illustrates the importance of centering adults with disabilities in research and policy with implications for future thought.

AbstractPornography promotes sexual objectification by depicting people as bodies that are used primarily for sexual gratification. Across various methodologies, previous research has found positive associations between pornography use and sexually objectifying attitudes. However, there remains a need for multinational data collections to assess potential cross-cultural differences. In the present study, we collected data from heterosexual participants in four countries: Germany (n = 640), Korea (n = 799), Taiwan (n = 488), and the United States (n = 888). Using multigroup structural equation modeling, we found that gender and pornography use were significantly associated with sexually objectifying behaviors in each country evaluated. Specifically, people who more frequently watch pornography were more likely to endorse engaging in types of sexual objectification. Because these four countries were relatively homogenous regarding gender inequality, future studies should collect data from more diverse countries to investigate potential moderating effects of related cultural variables on the association between pornography use and sexual objectification.

In this article, we analyze the role of conspiracy theories, especially the spread of QAnon during the COVID-19 pandemics, in the legitimation crisis and epistemic crisis in contemporary democracies. We discuss Habermas' theory of legitimation crisis and the potential for reactionary movements in times of such crisis, as well as Hofstadter's description of the paranoid style in political culture. We explain the notion of 'epistemic crisis' as theorized by Larry Laudan and discussed recently in relation to social media. We discuss anti-intellectualism in Hofstadter's terms, and explain its connection with populism. Finally, we explain how all of this comes to bear on the contemporary proliferation of conspiracy theory, using QAnon and the COVID crisis as our point of reference, and examples from the United States and Brazil to illustrate our points. QAnon fueled COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and COVID-19 conspiracy theories rocketed QAnon to a place of major influence.

The current study explores Black undergraduate women's friendships using in-depth interview data from 47 women (18–24 years) attending predominantly white institutions (PWIs) in the United States. Drawing on consensual qualitative research methods, we considered the nature and importance of Black female friendships among Black undergraduate women. We identified the following themes: (a) friendship as a tool to mitigate bias and discrimination; (b) affinity groups as a gateway to friendship; and (c) friendship as a way to navigate intersectional identity development. Two subthemes within the final theme highlighted how Black female friends (1) affirmed their self-image; and (2) honored their unique, intersectional experiences. Our findings demonstrate how Black female friendships are "homeplaces" for Black undergraduate women, particularly in regards to identity development during emerging adulthood. We discuss how friendships with other Black women offer unique forms of support during Black undergraduate women's journeys in PWI environments that may challenge their wellbeing.

Abstract5G networks are at the center of geopolitical competition. The United States has denounced market leader Huawei's ability to break into allies' sensitive networks and it has tried to convince Europeans to ban the Chinese group from their 5G markets. How are European governments and industries reacting to 5G politicization? This article argues that government‐industry interactions in the handling of politically salient issues are mediated by the country's political system. In executive‐dominated countries, the government would centralize policymaking. In parliament‐dominated countries, the government would delegate politically salient issues to the industry to bypass diffuse power‐sharing and fragmented coalition‐building. The article adds that political economy acts as an intervening variable. In public governance ecosystems, governments and industries interact through informal coordination; in private governance ecosystems, the two actors rely on formal contracting. The empirical analysis focuses on British, Dutch, French, and Italian reactions to 5G politicization, yielding favorable results to the hypotheses.

AbstractHow does terrorism affect citizens' political attitudes? Over the years, many scholars have tried to answer this question. This article performs a meta‐analysis on this literature, reviewing about 325 studies conducted between 1985 and 2020 on more than 400,000 respondents. The findings confirm that terrorism is associated—to a small but significant extent—with outgroup hostility, political conservatism and rally‐'round‐the‐flag effects. At the same time, the effects of terrorism vary widely, with studies on Islamist violence, conducted in the United States or Israel, and using cross‐sectional data yielding stronger results on average. Finally, the review reveals remaining gaps in this field of study, including a lack of research on non‐Islamist violence or conducted in non‐Western contexts. Taken together, this meta‐analysis consolidates existing evidence, determines which results hold across contexts, and identifies key gaps in our current knowledge. Its data can also be accessed interactively via a Shiny App.

Marked by both deep interconnectedness and polarization, the contemporary media system in the United States features news outlets and social media that are bound together, yet deeply divided along partisan lines. This article formally analyzes communication flows surrounding mass shootings in the hybrid and polarized U.S. media system. We begin by integrating media system literature with agenda setting and news framing theories and then conduct automated text analysis and time series modeling. After accounting for exogenous event characteristics, results show that (a) sympathy and gun control discourses on Twitter preceded news framing of gun policy more than the other way around, and (b) conservatives on Twitter and conservative media reacted to progressive discourse on Twitter, without their progressive counterparts exhibiting a similar reactiveness. Such results shed light on the influence of social media on political communication flows and confirm an asymmetry in the ways partisan media ecosystems respond to social events.

The notion of grand challenges has become popular in research governance to support the allocation of research funding to societally beneficial topics. This article illustrates the flexibility and usefulness of grand challenges for university rectorates and project leaders when communicating with policy makers, research hinders, and local industries and companies. The Flexibility is beneficial to researchers and rectorate during the design stage of research projects. However, their utility diminishes in the later stages as other targets take precedence, particularly the need to demonstrate academic excellence. First, I explore the definitions of grand challenges in United States and European Union. Second, I provide a case study demonstrating the use of grand challenges in one technical research university. Last, I propose that if the aim in research policy is to orient research more towards societal benefit, more specific processual or outcome-oriented targets should be introduced to supplement grand challenges. ; Peer reviewed

We study changes in social distancing and government policy in response to local outbreaks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using aggregated county-level data from approximately 20 million smartphones in the United States, we show that social distancing behaviors have responded to local outbreaks: a 1% increase in new cases (deaths) is associated with a 3% (11%) increase in social distancing intensity. Responsiveness is reinforced by the presence of public measures restricting movements, but remains significant in their absence. Responsiveness is higher in high-income, more educated, or Democrat-leaning counties, and in counties with low health insurance coverage. By contrast, social capital and vulnerability to infection are strongly associated with more social distancing but not with more responsiveness. Our results point to the importance of politics, trust and reciprocity for compliance with social distancing, while material constraints are more critical for being responsive to new risks such as the emergence of variants.

This article examines how the Chinese elites are interpreting China's growing presence in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region and the various ways in which the United States is responding to China's expanding activity in the region. Some of China's elites caution that China's international posturing could be overly assertive. Regarding China's growing role in the LAC, they have made a note of US sensitivities, in addition to China's challenges and limitations in various Latin American countries. Regarding the US response, some US concerns may be legitimate, and others are less valid. Looking ahead, even though US–China interactions in the LAC will remain competitive, the US and China could potentially avoid counterproductive policies while also pursuing pragmatic co-operation. While China does not yet face a serious problem of strategic overstretching in the LAC, China's domestic debate on the topic will provide feedback to China's policymakers and promote fruitful China–LAC relations. (JCCA/GIGA)

The political division across the United States has increasingly been documented over the last several years. Issues ranging from police brutality to COVID-19 restrictions have led many to take to the streets in protest. A unique feature of these protests, at least in terms of the last few decades, is that they are not isolated to major cities. In the context of Black Lives Matter, many have noted the increased prevalence of protests among small town residents. While Black Lives Matter was likely a significant catalyst to the demonstrations in these towns, participation amongst residents has focused on a broad set of issues. The protests are not uniform in belief in these areas; to the contrary, counter-protests have become equally prevalent. This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on February 20, 2022. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

Milk is rich in fat, protein, minerals, vitamins, peptides, immunologically active substances, and other nutrients, and it plays an important role in satisfying human nutrition and health. However, dairy product safety incidents caused by microbial contamination have occurred. We found that the total bacterial numbers in the pasteurized product were low and far below the limit requirements of the food safety standards of the European Union, the United States, and China. At the genus level, the primary microbial groups found in milk samples were Acinetobacter, Macrococcus, Pseudomonas, and Lactococcus, while in the equipment rinse water and air samples there was contamination by Stenotrophomonas and Acinetobacter. The Source Tracker model analysis indicated that the microorganisms in the final milk products were significantly related to the contamination in product tanks and raw milk. Therefore, it is the hope that this work can provide guidance to pinpoint contamination problems using the proper quality control sampling at specific stages in the pasteurization process.

Research has shown a correlation between votes for populist parties and the belief that vaccines are not important or effective. More recent investigations in the United States and France have similarly shown that attitudes toward the COVID‐19 vaccine have been politicized. In this article, we show a similar pattern analyzing survey data from Norway, a country relatively mildly hit by the pandemic and characterized by high trust and a consensual political culture. We find that refusal to vaccinate is associated with right‐wing ideological constraint, even when considering a wide array of control variables (e.g., lack of confidence, complacency), and sociodemographic characteristics. The results imply that vaccine refusal latch onto established political cleavages, particularly among the most ideologically consistent. Thus, polarization in the form of increasing ideological constraint may represent a mounting challenge for vaccine uptake, suggesting that vaccine communication should go beyond "explaining the science" and factor in ideology.

Health disparities remain ubiquitous in the United States despite initiatives by the federal government and other organizations. A long-term solution for health inequity is needed in order to help improve patient outcomes for all. The purpose of this review is to examine if racial, gender, or multifactorial concordance (eg, race, age, gender, education, language) between patient and provider leads to a better patient experience and improved health outcomes. A PubMed search for articles published between 2016 and 2021 resulted in 23 separate studies that met inclusion criteria. The results from these studies were inconclusive in determining an association between patient–provider concordance and patient outcomes. Further research is needed to evaluate the positive, neutral, and sometimes negative impact of patient–provider concordance. By diversifying healthcare professions and improving cultural competency and communication training programs, providers may be better prepared to care for diverse populations in both concordant and discordant patient relationships.

In the decades-long rise of neoliberalism, venture philanthropy has emerged as a respected solution towards addressing reforms to public education. Private foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have led the charge for education development in the United States. However, the infusion of private donations and adoption of business models to a public good have not improved educational outcomes. This article addresses the role of venture philanthropy in reinforcing racial and economic disparities in educational resources and attainment through the lens of Gates Foundation initiatives. Specifically, the article dissects the role of neoliberalism in crafting education policies through private funding and discusses how the Foundation's failed ventures—such as the small school initiative, charter school expansion, and teacher evaluations based on student performance on standardized testing—have served to reinforce a status quo of "winners and losers." The article concludes with suggested democratic solutions to achieve equitable educational reform.