Suchergebnisse

In the complex world of international negotiations, nation-states often navigate a spectrum of political relationships, from alliances and partnerships to competition and rivalry. Despite their diverse backgrounds and interests, the BRICS countries collectively constitute a significant proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions. Drawing upon the principles of neoliberal institutionalism, this study delves into the origins of the BRICS cooperation mechanism and its impact on climate cooperation among its member states. Our analysis traces the climate policies of BRICS nations since the inception of the UNFCCC in 1992, taking into consideration factors such as their level of economic development, environmental vulnerability, and the broader international political context. We argue that these three factors primarily shape the dynamics of alliance and partnership within BRICS regarding climate governance, although underlying competition may also influence collaborative efforts. This study aims to stimulate further theoretical discourse on the formation of political alliances within the context of global climate governance.

Social robots can benefit aging people, especially those with restricted social interactions and health care, but how do resource-poor older adults respond to them? In this study, 5 focus groups with 60 older participants in rural China revealed their perceptions of social robots, concerns about the technology, and the types of social robots they were likely to accept. The participants cited multiple technological, discomfort, privacy, safety, and financial fraud concerns. They struggled to define robots as machines, humans, or something else but preferred small-sized, animal-shaped, or young female-gendered human-like robots. Their interconnected perceptions, concerns, and preferences illuminate a resource-poor group's struggles, imaginations, hopes, uncertainties, and vulnerabilities when a new social and technological actor is embedded in their social worlds, reflecting how people understand social robots in relation to themselves and themselves in relation to social robots. Our study findings contribute to understanding social robots' subjectivities and ways to design culturally and socially acceptable robots.