bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Criminalization and Decriminalization of Same-Sex Sexuality
Authors: Constantinides Aristoteles 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Almost a third of UN member states still criminalize private same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults and many punish such conduct with severe penalties. Such criminalization—irrespective of enforcement—stigmatizes and discriminates against LGBTIQ persons, sustaining an intolerant social environment conducive to various forms of violence against them and denial of their human rights. The first part of this chapter focuses on the trajectory of criminalization: its religious roots in the Bible, the secularization of the crime of sodomy in England in 1533 and its worldwide expansion through (British) colonialism, and its contemporary defences in parts of the Global South, based on a combination of anti-Western/anti-colonial sentiment, cultural relativist arguments, and conservative narratives of traditional religious and family values. The second part tells the story of decriminalization: its liberal origins in the Enlightenment and in Mill’s harm principle, the evolving international human rights legal framework, and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and other international and regional courts and treaty bodies on the right to private life and non-discrimination, which has led to an ongoing wave of decriminalization through legislative reforms and especially domestic judicial decisions, particularly in commonwealth jurisdictions.
Queering International Criminal Law
Authors: Sauermoser Andreas 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Sexual and gender minorities face various forms of human rights violations, ranging from laws criminalizing same-sex conduct to targeted attacks aimed at eradicating them. This chapter examines how sexual and gender minorities are protected under the regime of international criminal law. It reflects on progress in criminalizing violence against sexual and gender minorities and addresses the challenges of recognizing and understanding these crimes. It concentrates on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which for the first time enables an international court, the ICC, to prosecute core crimes against sexual and gender minorities. The chapter focuses on the crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity, enshrined in Articles 6 and 7 of the Rome Statute. For gender persecution as a crime against humanity, this chapter argues that sexual orientation should be read into the term ‘gender’ as defined in Article 7(3) of the Rome Statute. However, when it comes to the persecution of intersex persons, the limits of the Rome Statute’s definition of gender are demonstrated.
Authoritarianism in South America
Authors: Roberts Kenneth M. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Although South America has a long history of pendular swings between authoritarianism and democracy, the region shifted decisively toward democracy in the 1980s, and has largely maintained democratic rule since. Over time, however, the institutional fragilities and social deficits of democratic regimes have left them susceptible to destabilizing forms of social mobilization and political polarization. In that context, authoritarian currents of varied political persuasions have reemerged, on both the left and right flanks of national political orders. In contrast to historical patterns of military coups and revolutionary armed struggle, contemporary manifestations of authoritarianism often compete in the democratic arena and make populist appeals to disenchanted mass publics to circumvent or dismantle the institutional checks and balances of democratic regimes. South America, therefore, despite its achievements during the Third Wave of democratization, is not immune to the patterns of democratic backsliding seen across much of the world in recent times.
Multisectoral Health Service Delivery and Disease Surveillance System in Malawi
Authors: Nyasulu Peter Suwirakwenda , Tamuzi Jacques Lukenze 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Nearly 85% of the population in Malawi lives in rural areas, making access to health service delivery and protection from diseases difficult. Malawi’s health service delivery and disease surveillance heavily relies on a multi-sectoral approach paradigm, with the government, church, and traditional sector providing healthcare for the population. However, Malawi’s health sector is almost entirely focused on healthcare services, leaving the potential that comes with multisectoral collaboration untapped, leading to poor disease surveillance and service delivery and hence poor health outcomes. This chapter therefore assesses the health and economic benefits of disease surveillance in a multisectoral approach to boost the overall economic growth and development prospects. The chapter develops a framework to assess whether health has an impact on economic growth, and the role of multiple stakeholders in improving health and well-being. It also illustrates how disease surveillance can support disease interventions and how a disease-free society can boost economic growth.
Wetland Farming Systems in the Context of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Potential in Malawi
Authors: Makwinja Rodgers , Curtis Christopher J. , Tesfamichael Solomon G. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Malawi is endowed with wetland ecosystems that provide essential services to the country’s people and the environment. As in the rest of the world, however, the wetlands are facing a challenge to sustain their services due to, among others, a lack of research-based evidence to support a farming system that balances food production and efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This chapter critically analyses the link between Malawi’s dominant wetland farming systems and GHG emissions. It addresses the following research questions: To what extent will converting wetlands for aquaculture and rice production contribute to GHG emissions, and what could be the potential implications? Given the trade-offs in climate change mitigation efforts and food production, to what extent will the integration of the two farming systems mitigate GHG emissions? The chapter instigates debate to uncover much-needed data on how much GHG Malawi’s wetland farming has contributed to global emissions, its implications, and future interventions.
Drivers of Labour Productivity in Malawi
Authors: Shawa Ken Chamuva 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The chapter utilizes quantile regression to decipher heterogeneous effects on labour productivity in Malawi. In general, the results show that labour productivity in Malawi is influenced by urbanization rate, gross capital formation, inflation rate, education expenditure, male labour force participation rate, trade, and foreign direct investment. Female labour force participation rate and elder dependency ratio were found to have no influence on labour productivity at any quantile level. Ordinary least squares regression results, on the other hand, show only gross capital formation, gross domestic saving, and education expenditure as significant drivers of labour productivity. The study proposes policies that harness employment dynamics in the urban sector, encourage domestic investment and improve the quality of foreign direct investment, enhance human capital development, boost labour force participation, and enhance trade. Further, there is the need to consider heterogeneous effects on labour productivity in the conduct of economic and labour market policies.
Digital Technologies and Economic Development in Malawi
Authors: Chavula Hopestone Kayiska 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
As is the case with many developing countries, especially in Africa, Malawi has not benefited from or capitalized on the opportunities brought about by the previous industrial revolutions, hence weakening its position with regard to its international competitiveness. Malawi has not made significant progress towards being a technologically driven economy as stipulated in its national development strategies and plans. This chapter develops an analytical framework to examine the evolution of ICT, science, and technology-related policy developments in Malawi and assess the extent to which these developments have put the country on a trajectory towards exploiting the potential that comes with the advent of new digital technologies underpinning the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Among others, the study emphasizes the need for policies that accelerate the growth of technology and a technology-driven economic ecosystem and spur innovation, automation, and digitalization, with the aim of scaling up existing businesses to create job opportunities.
Development Aid and Institutional Design
Authors: Chasukwa Michael , Dulani Boniface , Zuka Sane 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The chapter engages qualitative research design to understand interests of actors in pooled funds and power games played in the institutional design of pooled funds with reference to the Local Development Fund (LDF) in Malawi. Furthermore, the chapter examines how formal and informal power games are played by actors in the development aid sector and how these games have shaped, and seek to shape, the institutional design of the LDF as a pooled fund. The chapter establishes that cooperation between and among development partners and domestic institutions is limited in terms of the extent to which they can work together without hindering each other in the process as they work to satisfy their respective formal and silent interests. The chapter argues that local actors play both formal and informal power games to influence institutional design, and development partners dominate through formal power games, but ultimately engage in informal power games too.
Regional Parties
Authors: Ziegfeld Adam 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
India’s regional political parties have long constituted an important component of the country’s party system. This chapter begins by defining regional parties based on their one shared characteristic: geographic concentration of electoral support. The chapter then describes India’s regional parties in two ways. The first examines how strikingly heterogeneous this group of parties is on virtually all dimensions other than the geography of their electoral support, including message and origin. The second charts their role in politics over time, from their initial prominence in a growing number of states (1951–89) to their substantial clout in national politics (1991–2009), and more recently their diminished role at the Centre but growing prominence in opposing the BJP (2014-present). Next, the chapter turns to scholarly treatments of regional parties, identifying three crucial empirical puzzles associated with India’s regional parties: their relative success in cross-national comparison, their rise in the 1990s, and their variation in success across India. Whereas scholars have made considerable progress explaining the rise of regional parties, these other puzzles have received less attention as has the question of regional parties’ impact on politics. The chapter concludes with suggestions on how future research might usefully proceed to better understand regional parties in India.
Women in Indian Politics
Authors: Spary Carole 
Published: September 2024

AbstractThis chapter discusses developments of the last 20 years in women’s political participation and representation in India. It discusses India’s stalled progress in improvements to women’s descriptive representation, despite progress in local government since the 1990s. Recent milestones in women’s political leadership are discussed, including first appointments and elections to constitutional offices, and senior women political leaders’ party leadership. However, notable exceptions aside, senior women leaders’ presence has declined recently since the passing of a generation. On substantive representation of ‘women’s interests’, governments and political parties continue to invoke women’s diverse, intersectional political subjectivities as voters, citizens, clients, community members, workers, and more, and with recognition of women’s increasingly mobilised voting power. Nevertheless, women, especially among marginalised communities, are regularly still denied full agency, justice, rights, and entitlements, and experience continued, new, and re-worked forms of violence, including in electoral politics. Finally, research on women in Indian politics, an already rich inter-disciplinary field, has diversified further in recent years, aided by advancements in qualitative and quantitative data generation and accessibility. Considerations of women’s political agency have become more integrated in studies of Indian electoral politics. Global research communities, particularly European and North American research communities in gender and politics and democratic politics generally, who are beginning to respond to calls for greater inclusivity, could benefit from much-deserved attention to Indian women’s diverse political experiences. The chapter’s final section and conclusion highlights new challenges, directions, and questions for future research, acknowledging there is still plenty more to do.
Muslim Representation
Authors: Farooqui Adnan 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
This chapter investigates the political under-representation of Indian Muslims, focusing exclusively on the Lok Sabha. It dissects the spatial and institutional factors contributing to their limited presence in the legislative arena, specifically analysing nomination and election patterns. By unravelling the intricacies of this issue, the chapter provides insights into the challenges faced by Indian Muslims in securing adequate representation within the Lok Sabha and highlights the broader consequences of their under-representation in the political landscape.
Coercive Instruments of the State
Authors: Verma Arvind 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
India remains an open and democratic society but the government functions largely by coercion in the administration of the country. Policies and procedures are thrust upon the people with little consultation and engagement. The police, the de facto coercive apparatus of the state, is known for using brute force, and functions without any accountability to the citizens. The police are backed by a large number of laws which provide them discretionary powers to arrest or detain suspects. India remains one of the few democratic countries that retains preventive detention laws on its statute books. Additionally, the police-political nexus runs deep, and the politicisation of the police is now an accepted norm. There is also an alarmingly trend in officers eager to anticipate the desires of political leaders and to act sue motto against opponents or critics of the ruling party. Accordingly, violations of citizen rights are visible in every part of the country. This chapter examines the coercive apparatus created by the government and provides evidence of an organisational culture that promotes the misuse of force by officers. It also discusses the implications for the democratic functioning of society.
The Indian Cabinet
Authors: Mehra Ajay K. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The Cabinet, a key institution of governance in the Westminster model, was adopted by the framers of the Indian Constitution for independent Indian Republic. However, in over seven decades of its operation, the institution has evolved independently of the adopted and adapted model and developed its own characteristics. The debates on the Cabinet system in India have pointed out the during Nehru’s heydays between 1955–62, the system developed the characteristics of what Richard Crossman described as the Prime Ministerial system. Following Indira Gandhi’s consolidation in Indian politics since 1970, the same slide back took place. During the period of coalition governments, some semblance of the Cabinet System returned. The experimentation of governance during a decade long period of the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who led the United Progressive Alliance coalition, weakened the Cabinet System that had two centres of power. With the ascension to power of Narendra Modi, who leads a majority coalition government of National Democratic Alliance, there has again been return to the Prime Ministerial government. The Cabinet has been weakened as an institution.
The Changing Nature of Federalism in India
Authors: Saxena Rekha 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The Indian Constitution is based on two ideas that seem to go against each other: federalism and parliamentarianism. Federalism is based on the idea that political power should be spread out, while the parliamentary system is based on legislation. India's choice of a parliamentary federal constitution was based on its large number of different groups, its history of the subcontinent being split up, the effects of British colonial rule, and the joining of the princely states. In India, federalism has changed a lot in the last sixty years, both in terms of what it is and how it works. Some of these changes have been caused by changes in the world around India. The use and abuse of executive and legislative powers have led to a number of changes to the Federal model, both on a theoretical and a practical level.
Political Leadership in India
Authors: Kumar Ashutosh 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Political Leadership has remained an under-researched area in the discipline of Political Science, despite its criticality for the functioning of democracy. The chapter refers to the factors that explain the academic neglect. It discusses how the Leadership Study helps in understanding political and economic changes and developments during the political life of a particular leader. It also helps in understanding the processes of party formation, and policy agendas and symbolism, especially if parties and party systems are fluid and weakly institutionalised and partisanship is low, as is the case in India. In addition, the study of the social profile of political leaders also helps in analysing the shifting nature of political representation. The chapter discusses how the social and institutional complexity in India requires political leaders to mix and blend eclectically their political styles. The chapter notes a discernible shift in the language of politics used by the present day political leaders, especially at the state level, as compared to the ones who belonged to the ‘Congress era’ and attributes it to the different institutional and political ecology that now prevails in India.
POLITICS IN THE THIRD TIER
Authors: Mathew George 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
It is widely recognised that self-governing village communities characterised by agrarian economies had existed in India from the earliest times. Not only are they mentioned in the Rig Veda, which between 1500 and 1200 BCE, there is also definite evidence available of the existence of village "sabhas" (councils or assemblies) and "gramins" (senior persons of the village) until about 600 B.C. These village bodies were the lines of contact with higher authorities on matters affecting the villages. In course of time, these village bodies took the form of panchayats (an assembly of five persons) which looked after the affairs of the village. They had both police and judicial powers. Custom and religion elevated them to a sacred position of authority. Besides the village panchayats, there were also caste panchayats, to ensure that persons belonging to a particular caste adhered to its code of social conduct and ethics. If this was a general pattern in the Indo-Gangetic plains, in the south, village panchayats generally had a village assembly whose executive body consisted of representatives of various groups and castes. It will not be wide off the mark if we say that these village bodies, both in north and south India, had been the pivot of administration, the centre of social life, and, above all, a focus of social solidarity. Even during the medieval and Mughal periods, this characteristic of the village panchayats remained unchanged. Sir Charles Metcalfe, the provisional governor general of India (1835–36), had called the Indian village communities "the little republics." This article analyses the evolution of panchayats and municipalities as third tier since British times. How strong is the political party participation in the local governments in India today? How effective are the municipalities and panchayats in governance and service delivery? How are the political parties monitoring and participating in the municipalities and panchayats?
Comparative study about the therapeutic effect of cTBS and rTMS in the treatment of auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia
Authors: Gao Xiaofeng , Ni Yanfei , Hu Weiming , Wang Guomin , He Xianyan 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

Objective
This study aims to compare the therapeutic effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) treatment in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs).

Methods
We enrolled 64 schizophrenia patients with AVHs who were treated with either rTMS (n = 32) or cTBS (n = 32), and we compared the clinical outcomes by evaluating parameters from motor evoked potentials, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Auditory Hallucination Rating Scale (AHRS), and MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), as well as the changes of serum neurotrophic factors before and after the treatment.

Results
After the treatment, both treatments resulted in reduced PANSS scores, with the cTBS group showing more substantial symptom improvement across positive, negative, and general symptoms, highlighting the enhanced efficacy of cTBS. Cognitive functions assessed by MCCB also improved in both groups, with cTBS showing a generally higher therapeutic effect. Serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) increased following treatment in both groups, with a more notable increase after cTBS, while GABA and glutamate levels remained unchanged. Cardiovascular indices were unaffected by either treatment, suggesting no significant impact on cardiovascular health.

Conclusions
Our study found that both rTMS and cTBS treatment can exhibit therapeutic effects in the management of AVHs in patients with schizophrenia. However, cTBS treatment generally shows a higher therapeutic effect than rTMS treatment.
Socially Responsible Finance: How to Optimize Impact
Authors: Landier Augustin , Lovo Stefano 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Can a socially responsible fund (SRF) improve social welfare while maximizing assets under management? We consider a two-sector model integrating financial intermediation, emissions’ negative externalities, and investors’ social preferences with regard to value alignment and impact. In scenarios with a high proportion of value-aligned investors, the SRF invests in clean sectors and compels recipients companies to use low-emission suppliers from the polluting sector, which appeals to both investor types. Alternatively, the SRF adopts a dual-fund approach, with one fund targeting clean sectors for value-aligned investors and another focusing on reducing direct emissions in polluting sectors to attract impact investors.