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Purpose: This study investigates the economic strategies street beggars (SBs) employ in Ghana to gain a competitive advantage within the contested urban spaces they occupy. By conceptualising SBs as economic actors, the research shifts the focus from perceiving them as passive recipients of charity to recognising their intentional decision-making and strategic behaviour to maximise financial benefits. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a qualitative case study approach, using non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 40 SBs in Kumasi, Ghana. Thematic analysis was used to identify the economic strategies used by SBs to gain a competitive advantage. Findings: The study reveals three main strategies adopted by SBs: child advertisement, body marketing, and narrative marketing. These strategies emerge from the SBs' contextual understanding of the public's social protection needs and are used to develop strategies that give them an advantage over other SBs within contested urban streets. Research limitations/implications: Future research could explore the effectiveness of different economic strategies employed by street beggars and compare their financial outcomes. Investigating the public's perceptions and attitudes towards these strategies could provide valuable insights. Practical implications: Policymakers and city authorities should acknowledge some street begging as an economic activity and develop regulations, designate begging areas, and establish guidelines for acceptable practices. Creating targeted skill training, entrepreneurship programs, and access to microfinance can facilitate the transition of street beggars from begging to more sustainable forms of livelihood. Social implications: This study challenges the perception of street beggars as passive victims, highlighting their agency and strategic decision-making. Recognizing their economic strategies can inform policies that regulate begging as an economic activity, create alternative opportunities, and prevent exploitation of vulnerable groups, ultimately promoting more sustainable and dignified livelihoods for street beggars. Originality/value: This study seeks to enrich the current literature and bridge the research gap by investigating the phenomenon of street begging and the diverse economic strategies street beggars employ to gain a competitive advantage within urban areas. This research moves beyond computing financial income and regulating begging by conceptualizing SBs as economic actors and begging as an economic activity. It explores how SBs use conscious efforts and rational strategies to maximize financial benefits from passers-by and outperform other SBs, providing novel insights into the complex dynamics of street begging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parent–offspring communication mediates parental provisioning rates through nestling begging. Although begging can be energetically costly and it potentially attracts predators to the nest, it is critical to nestling survival. Parent-absent begging is a behavior that has similar costs as parent-present begging but lacks the immediate benefits and yet occurs among several passerine species. We recorded European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) nestling begging vocalizations at 18 nest boxes on days 2, 7, 12, 17 of the nestling period and the day before fledging to examine whether parent-absent begging occurred, and if so, whether the frequency of parent-absent begging changed with nestling age. We predicted that, like other cavity-nesting species, European Starling nestlings would spend more time begging in the absence of parents as they aged. We found that the average proportion of time nestlings spent parent-absent begging increased significantly from days 2 and 7 to days 12 and 17, then declined significantly on the day prior to fledging. Offspring provisioning rates remained high on the day before fledging, when growth rates have slowed, and did not differ significantly from the early and middle stages of the nestling period. Parent-absent begging may function in advertising hunger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the conflict between liberal egalitarianism and the principles of liberalism, arguing that the former's commitment to distributive justice undermines the latter's respect for personal property and occupational choice. Topics include a reinterpretation of Robert Nozick's critique of distributive justice, the argument against the notion that Nozick's critique is question-begging, and the implications for the state's role in enforcing egalitarian distribution.

The parent–offspring conflict in avian species encompasses resource allocation and a balance necessary for survival for both parties. Parental investment is modulated according to various factors, among which begging is important. Endogenous hormones, particularly corticosterone (CORT), play a role in modulating begging behavior. However, most studies on hormonal regulation of begging behavior induced elevated hormone levels in the offspring through feeding or injections, thus, limiting our knowledge of the evolution of the parent–offspring conflict under natural conditions. In this study, we aimed to identify the key signals that parents respond to during interactions with their nestlings in the wild, considering factors such as endogenous hormone CORT, nestling age, and brood size, which may affect nestling begging behavior. Begging performance was evaluated by measuring the begging frequency and score of the red‐whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), along with assessing CORT levels in feathers. CORT levels were significantly correlated with both the begging frequency and score of nestlings, while variables such as body mass and tarsus length did not influence parental feeding frequency. Additionally, factors such as the number of nestlings (brood size), age, and begging frequency were predictors of parental feeding frequency. Our findings indicate that begging frequency, nestling age, and brood size are signals that help navigate the intricacies of the parent–offspring conflict and that parents may rely on these key signals from the range of begging cues exhibited by nestlings to adjust their feeding strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical cues and signals, especially in insects, play a pivotal role in mediating interactions between individuals. Past studies have largely focused on adult semiochemicals and have neglected those of juvenile stages. Especially in the context of parental care, the larval odor might have a profound impact on parenting behavior, guiding parents in how much resources they should allocate to the different developmental stages. However, whether ontogenetic changes occur in subsocial species and whether larval-emitted scents influence parent–offspring interactions is largely unknown. Using 3 different sampling techniques, we analyzed the cuticular and VOC profile of the 3 larval instars of the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides , which is known for its elaborate parental care. We found distinct differences in the cuticular and VOC profiles across the 3 larval stages. Second-instar larvae, which receive more frequent feedings from parents than the other larval stages, released greater amounts of acetophenone, methyl geranate, and octanoic acid isopropyl ester than the first and third instar. Additionally, using a newly developed bioassay with automated video tracking, we found that adding the odor of second-instar larvae to first-instar larvae increased the number of maternal feeding trips. Our results suggest that the odor produced by larvae plays an important role in mediating parent–offspring interactions. Given these findings, burying beetles might emerge as a promising candidate for identifying a potential begging pheromone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study documents how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the livelihoods of women with disabilities in three low-income urban areas of Zimbabwe's Harare Metropolitan Province. A mixed-method approach was used to gather data through structured interviews, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions with 104 women with disabilities and service providers working with women with disabilities in Caledonia, Hatcliffe, and Epworth. The study utilises the sustainable livelihood approach to analyse the dynamics ensuing during the pandemic and how they impinged on women with disabilities' livelihoods. Findings reveal that the pandemic, particularly the lockdowns, greatly and negatively impacted the livelihoods of women with disabilities, who mainly depend on the informal sector through vending, begging, and handouts. The study recommends the provision of targeted sustainable social safety nets for women with disabilities in times of shocks and stresses such as pandemics to cushion them from the devastating effects brought about by such eventualities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For survival, unhoused community members develop creative and alternative means for generating income, given most are excluded from the formal labor market. Of the various informal activities they engage in, few are more publicly visible than panhandling. Drawing upon 66 interviews with marginalized and street-involved persons in Winnipeg, Canada, we explore participants’ narratives and varied experiences with two distinct begging activities, “panning” and “flagging.” We unmask why participants chose specific activities and illuminate these activities’ structures, norms, and social dynamics. We show that while panhandling is a primarily solitary behavior, flagging is a highly organized and intricate type of informal labor characterized by social networks, cohesion, conflict and control over space. Accordingly, we discuss how social and environmental structures, norms, and dynamics can support and constrict marginalized people’s informal labor opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People who beg are almost invisible in public policy debates in India due to their literal absence of bargaining power, in spite of their substantial population in Indian society. Despite being decriminalised by the Delhi High Court in 2018, begging continues to be stigmatised by society. The COVID-19 lockdown endangered the lives of those who beg as evidenced by their lived experiences. Although there were some efforts, governments largely failed to provide social security to people who beg during the lockdown. NGOs and some other associations, an essential part of civil society, have had more success in alleviating the undesirable predicament of the people who beg in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many nuclear families, dependent offspring receive unequal shares of parental investment. Initial overproduction can be adaptive from the perspective of parents, but parents must be able to identify appropriate candidates for favourite status. We studied early nestling development in house sparrows (Passer domesticus), a species in which the loss of some brood members is common, testing the prediction that body mass and carotenoid-rich flange colours are important to nestling success. There was substantial variation in both traits within broods, even only 1 day after hatching. Nestlings low in the within-brood mass hierarchy gained more mass if they displayed more carotenoid-rich flanges than broodmates. Position in the colour hierarchy did not, however, predict mass gain for individuals that were heavier than their broodmates. Nestlings that were heavier or had more carotenoid-rich mouths were also less likely to be the victim of brood reduction. Our results suggest that house sparrow parents use both nestling body size and mouth colour when making allocation decisions. Understanding both how and when offspring traits and parental preferences function is key to understanding how selective pressures act on offspring–parent communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arab Journal for Scientific Publishing is the property of Research & Development of Human Recourses Center (REMAH) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article, written by Heidi Janz, discusses the expansion of eligibility for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in Canada and its impact on ill and disabled individuals. Janz argues that the current MAID regime is resulting in increasing numbers of people with disabilities turning to MAID as their only alternative to poverty or institutionalization. She presents case studies of individuals who chose MAID due to lack of support and accessible housing. Janz calls for policymakers to recognize the injustice of the current MAID regime and take action to address it. [Extracted from the article]

Adam R. Nelson's book, "Exchange of Ideas: The Economy of Higher Education in Early America," aims to engage scholars of education with the study of early American history and make early Americanists care about education. Nelson explores the transition of higher education from mercantilist to republican to nationalistic to a "liberal" market economy. He argues that partisan politics played a significant role in the development of higher education as a marketplace and highlights the interconnectedness of education, power, inequality, and hierarchy. Nelson's book provides valuable insights into the history of education and its relationship to capitalism and early American politics. [Extracted from the article]

Much philosophical work has examined both imperatival and non-imperatival forms of address that aim to motivate others to action. But one such kind of address has received relatively little attention: begging. This is partly surprising as begging, both as an individual act and as a widespread social practice, raises acute, yet difficult to articulate, moral and political concerns. In this paper, I identify a central form of the phenomenon which constitutively involves communicating one's relative powerlessness as a means of motivating one's target to act. I argue that this form of begging is present in a number of cases that animate many of our pre-theoretic normative worries about begging. I argue that when begging of this kind is bad for the beggar herself, this is so because either (i) the invoked powerlessness is bad for the beggar and thereby gives the action a negative evaluative meaning, or (ii) the invoked powerlessness is good/neutral, but the act of begging precludes or replaces valuable ways of interacting that the parties have reasons to care about in the context. In a slogan, the badness of begging revolves around power and helplessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symptoms of illness offer insights into an organism's condition, altering social signals that affect others' behavior. Nestling birds employ begging signals to solicit parental care, but the extent to which begging reflects nestling health beyond hunger remains controversial. We investigated how experimentally induced changes in health affect begging signals in spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor) nestlings. To alter health status, we challenged nestlings by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -an antigen that elicits an immune response- or a control substance (PBS) and observed begging behavior under controlled food deprivation conditions. LPS-treated nestlings exhibited delayed gaping, reduced stretching, and less begging time compared to control nestlings. Moreover, LPS-treated nestlings produced calls with higher spectral entropy, particularly when deprived of food for longer. Our findings indicate that begging signals are sensitive to induced sickness. However, addressing mechanistic issues is crucial for effectively testing whether begging reflects nestling condition as a signal of quality in future experimental setups. Significance statement: This study demonstrates that begging signals of nestling birds reflect their health status beyond mere hunger, addressing a longstanding debate in behavioral ecology. By experimentally inducing sickness in spotless starling nestlings, we reveal that changes in health affect postural and acoustic begging behavior. However, ascertaining the implications of this finding for current begging theory proves challenging without information about the causal mechanisms underlying sickness behavior. Understanding how nestlings communicate their condition to parents through begging signals holds implications for comprehending parental care dynamics and lays the groundwork for future research in parent-offspring communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many bird species, nestling begging signals play a key role in the interaction between parents and their offspring during development. The information conveyed by begging calls can be disrupted by anthropogenic noise, which is one of the major threats to biodiversity in increasingly urbanized landscapes. Here, we describe the developmental change in acoustic structure of begging calls in nestling Eurasian Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus; begging calls are pure‐tone, low‐frequency, soft calls during the first days of development and gradually turn into white‐noise, hiss‐like, powerful calls of broadband frequency. This strong developmental variation highlights the importance of an extended sampling scheme in developmental studies. Furthermore, we pinpoint two phases where begging calls could be most vulnerable to masking by anthropogenic noise. First, during early development, begging calls are very soft and low‐pitched, closer to high‐intensity noise bands of traffic noise. Secondly, around day 11, begging calls show reduced tonality, which implies higher degradation, and relatively low amplitude, which implies reduced signal range. We encourage future research to describe acoustic development of begging calls in other species, to provide a robust foundation that will make noise mitigation policies more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse actors, including foreign and national states, international agencies, donors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and private ventures, demand, fund, and implement anti-trafficking activities worldwide. Bissau-Guinean Quran schoolboys begging in Senegalese cities are defined as victims of child trafficking, and their teachers as traffickers. This article aims to explore the Quran teachers' understanding of begging and their response to being accused of child trafficking. It rests on data collected during anthropological fieldwork in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal since 2009, including interviews and participation in religious events. The Quran teachers, some of whom admit colleagues might exploit their students, highlight four aspects of begging: allowing poor populations economically to study the Quran; contributing to humbleness, humility, and empathy with underprivileged groups; redistributing resources across generations; and allowing the acquisition of knowledge, liberation, and power. They maintain that the NGOs are profiting from funds provided to "rescue" the students and act as real traffickers, and together with funders, they aim to eliminate Islam. Embedded in layers of coloniality, the Quran teachers keep their position as community leaders. Banning begging is bound to fail if the anti-trafficking NGOs ignore their understanding of meaningful suffering and begging, including the economic and religious aspects of alms-seeking and its reciprocal nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the history of Sufism, the Qalandarīs are a group of people who are considered to be outside the mainstream (heterodox) due to their contradictory appearance, the indifferent at - titude of some of them towards the Sharī‘a, and their practices such as begging, celibacy and wandering. The geography of Qalandarīs covers a wide region from India to the Balkans, the Middle East and finally Egypt. Egypt, due to its contacts and proximity to the Middle East, has been a country that has attracted the attention of Qalandarīs from the east since the earliest periods of the history of Qalandariyya. Before the Mamluk rule, Qalandarīs such as al-Hasan b. Muhammad al-’Ukbarī and Jamal al-Dīn al-Sāwī came to Egypt and even died here. Again in this period, some travellers pointed out the Qalandarī groups they witnessed in Egypt. During the Mamluk period, it is observed that the Qalandarīs had a presence in the region by opening zawiyas and attracting various followers. Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtarī, Hasan al-Jawālikī al-Qalan - darī, Kaygusuz Abdal, al-Kutbu al-Irāqī are some of these names. During the Mamluk period, it is seen that the Qalandarīs faced objections from both the ‘ulemā and the administration due to some of their practices and appearances, but they tried to adapt to the demands of society and politics, and thus they were able to continue to survive in the country. Our study analy - ses the main representatives of the Qalandarite presence in Egypt during the Mamluk period, their relations with the administration, the ‘ulemā and the society, primarily based on Mamluk sources. During the Mamluk rule in Egypt, it is shown that the Qalandarīs continued to exist, opened zawiyas in the region, and produced some important representatives, although they occasionally experienced tensions with the administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of meaning-bearing units (e.g., words) into higher-order structures (e.g., compound words and phrases) is integral to human language. Despite this central role of syntax in language, little is known about its evolutionary progression. Comparative data using animal communication systems offer potential insights, but only a handful of species have been identified to combine meaningful calls together into larger signals. We investigated a candidate for syntax-like structure in the highly social chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps). Using a combination of behavioral observations, acoustic analyses, and playback experiments, we test whether the form and function of maternal contact calls is modified by combining the core "piping" elements of such calls with at least one other call element or call. Results from the acoustic analyses (236 analysed calls from 10 individuals) suggested that piping call elements can be flexibly initiated with either "peow" elements from middle-distance contact calls or adult "begging" calls to form "peow-pipe" and "beg-pipe" calls. Behavioral responses to playbacks (20 trials to 7 groups) of natural peow-pipe and beg-pipe calls were comparable to those of artificially generated versions of each call using peow elements and begging calls from other contexts. Furthermore, responses to playbacks (34 trials to 7 groups) of the three forms of maternal contact calls (piping alone, peow-pipe, beg-pipe) differed. Together these data suggest that meaning encoded in piping calls is modified by combining such calls with begging calls or peow elements used in other contexts and so provide rare empirical evidence for syntactic-like structuring in a nonhuman animal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arts Magazine is the property of Thamar University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Anbar University for Law & Political Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nestlings normally exhibit a mix of traits that attract parental care, such as postural and vocal begging and carotenoid‐based mouth colouration. These signals are hypothesised to be signs of nestling needs (vocal begging) and quality (mouth colouration). Therefore, we hypothesised that broods, where nestlings beg for less time and display more saturated carotenoid‐based mouth colouration, would have lower nestling mortality. We tested these predictions in two wild blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) populations. The breeding success (here defined as the proportion of eggs that produced fledglings) was related to nestling mouth flanges' carotenoid‐based colour saturation. This means that blue tits that raised nestlings with more coloured flanges had a higher within‐population breeding success. Time spent in vocal begging, by contrast, was not associated with breeding success. Hence, our findings reveal that some communication signals displayed by nestlings (carotenoid‐based colouration) predict breeding success, in our study mostly reflecting the proportion of eggs that hatched, while begging intensity does not, probably because the former reflects a better maternal pre‐laying condition and nestling physiological status in the mid‐term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores a collection of circa 400 applications for 'begging letters' conserved in the archives of the Privy Council of the Austrian Netherlands from the late 1760s to the early 1780s. Such Lettres de Quête were issued in the name of the Habsburg monarch to subjects who had lost their possessions to fire or other natural disasters, and allowed their bearers to travel around begging. By means of a qualitative reading of the materials, the article uncovers underlying administrative procedures while throwing light on the social selectivity, practices and gains associated with this little-known phenomenon. By demonstrating that such 'begging letters' were customary policy practice, as they probably were in neighbouring countries, it signals their importance as an early modern mode of disaster relief and highlights their ambiguous role as a policy paradox in the context of increasing criminalisation of begging and vagrancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While much is known about the consequences of PSM, comparatively little is known about the causes of PSM. Furthermore, while PSM is believed to be influenced by parents, no study has obtained measures of PSM directly from parents. This study contributes to the literature by being the first to survey both children and their parents in a study of the antecedents of PSM. Nested regression models paring over 800 parents and children suggest that parental PSM-related values have a strong association with the PSM-related values of their children. This is the first study to show the intergenerational transfer of PSM and suggests that PSM may be largely socialized via the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe poverty literature often overlooks the relationship between housing insecurity and income-generating activities. The often informal sources of income among the homeless strongly connect to other aspects of their lives. Nonetheless, these groups of severely deprived people are often missing from large-scale studies and official statistics. Using an original and comprehensive survey, we document the complex interaction between living conditions and begging, a most visible form of extreme poverty and a central concern for urban planning and social assistance. We interviewed 358 people who were begging between 2021 and 2022 in Brussels. We estimate that approximately 80% of them are Romanian Roma. Our findings suggest that around half of the people who beg sleep rough, while some occupy relatively insecure and low-quality dwellings. Further differences relate to gender and ethnicity, with women and those with children more often seen in emergency accommodations and non-conventional dwellings and Romanian Roma occupying, on average, more problematic housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the Polish police narrative on Roma during the interwar time, unveiling attitudes and potential practices. According to the police journals and handbooks, Roma were mobile and disposed to theft and deceit. Their traditional crafts were merely a smoke screen for illicit activities. As countermeasures, searches of caravans, meticulous checks of identity documents, indiscriminate fingerprinting of Roma suspects, among several measures, were recommended. This narrative constituted part of a larger police professional discourse and is likely to be an indicator of practices on Roma. Polish police followed the contemporary European expertise on Roma produced by the fields of criminalistics and criminology. As there were no discriminatory laws targeting Roma in Poland, it appears that police used legislation against begging and vagrancy, among other tactics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text discusses the Eucharistic hymn "Adoro te devote" attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas. It acknowledges objections to Aquinas's authorship but dismisses them as insubstantial. The hymn highlights the hidden nature of God in the Eucharist and the importance of faith in perceiving this mystery. It is a personal prayer of adoration and petition, with the first half focusing on contemplation and the second half on earnest requests. The structure of the hymn consists of fourteen two-line couplets, with a clear shift in focus and rhyme scheme between the two halves. The text suggests that repeated recitation of the hymn can shape the mind and heart of the one who prays it, aligning them with the theological truths it conveys. [Extracted from the article]

Parents often have the opportunity to invest in offspring that offer different returns, with such variation arising from factors intrinsic to the offspring itself (e.g., body condition) or extrinsic (e.g., food availability in the environment). To identify the best targets for investment, parents may directly assess the environment or their offspring, but often also rely on offspring-generated signals when making investment decisions. We first used captive breeding pairs of the poison frog Ranitomeya imitator, a frog that facultatively feeds its young, to experimentally test how parents respond to variation in exogenous food availability in nurseries. We then used two experiments to test the prediction that, as is the case in many animals, the begging display of R. imitator tadpoles contains information about long- and short-term food intake. Parents rearing multiple tadpoles were more likely to feed and fed more to their tadpoles in control nurseries than to those in nurseries we supplemented. However, these control tadpoles completed metamorphosis at a smaller size. Tadpoles hand-reared on diets that drove differences in tadpole size did not differ in their begging at any point during development. Similarly, begging did not differ when tadpoles were food-deprived or fed. While parent R. imitator appear to invest strategically, begging seems unlikely to be parents' source of information, at least about the size and development of their tadpoles. Parental favoritism and offspring begging have evolved in diverse lineages, and studies of animals that differ in their life-histories can continue to offer insights into how and why offspring-parent communication evolves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Revolution without Revolutionaries: Making Sense of the Arab Spring" by Asef Bayat is a book that delves into the Arab Spring and its intricate blend of revolutions and reforms. The book explores the absence of strong leadership and intellectual vision within the popular movements, which opted for reforming existing state institutions rather than establishing a new social system. Focusing on Tunisia and Egypt, the book analyzes the dynamics, contradictions, and promises of the Arab Spring. It also examines the decline of opposition ideologies and the rise of neoliberalism in the Arab world. The text critically examines the flaws and contradictions of the Arab revolutions, particularly in relation to the desire for change and the outcomes of reform. It sheds light on the impact of neoliberal restructuring on Arab cities, leading to conflicts between marginalized groups and authorities. The study also considers the role of external factors, such as geopolitical interests and foreign intervention, in shaping the revolutions. Ultimately, the book concludes that the process of change is ongoing and intricate, and that true transformation necessitates a reimagining of power and a commitment to equality and inclusive democracy. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Arab Journal for Scientific Publishing is the property of Research & Development of Human Recourses Center (REMAH) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Public characterisations of begging tend in two directions: destitution or fraud. On the one hand begging is portrayed as largely disorganised, and on the other, criminally organised. Based on rare ethnographic research with people who beg and live on a pavement in Dhaka, Bangladesh, this article confronts such understandings, arguing that those who beg often conceive of the act as work, and relationships in such context can mirror those found among labour. Here beggars employ assistants, and associations emerge from beggars themselves, playing diverse roles, including the provision of savings and credit. While such hierarchies are largely neglected in the literature, sparse historical cases, particularly from Asia, suggest similar arrangements may be more common than recognised. This article thus builds towards a broader agenda concerning the hierarchies and associational lives of people who beg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the concept of federalism and presents two different approaches to understanding it: ideological and institutional. Ideological approaches define federalism based on normative ideals and emphasize the balance of competing ideals. Institutional approaches view federalism as a specific institutional form with distinct features and requirements. The author argues for adopting an institutional approach to federalism, which focuses on the adoption of federations and the allocation of decision-making authority. This approach provides a clearer understanding of federalism and can guide debates on authority allocation within federations. [Extracted from the article]

The essay titled "What Water Is" by Lauren K. Watel explores the author's personal experiences and memories with water. The author discusses childhood incidents involving swimming lessons, beach trips, and pool parties, highlighting her fear and anxiety towards water. The essay also touches on the concept of water as an enemy and draws parallels to the art of war. The author reflects on the allure and fascination of water, despite its potential dangers. The essay concludes by mentioning the influence of films and television shows in shaping the author's perception of water. Overall, the text delves into the author's relationship with water and her journey to become a proficient swimmer, emphasizing the importance of respecting and appreciating water as a powerful force. [Extracted from the article]

The article "CAPITAL and POVERTY" explores the relationship between money and poverty, discussing the concept of capital as a dominating force and poverty as a result of this domination. It raises questions about the consequences of valuing money over human connections and the potential for exploitation in capitalist systems. The text presents different perspectives on the illusion of money and its role in society, touching on historical references to highlight changing perceptions of wealth and poverty over time. It also includes a dialogue between two characters, Capital and Poverty, discussing their relationship and the themes of material thought, destruction, and the potential of poverty. Additionally, the text provides a historical overview of the concept of poverty, tracing its origins and development from biblical times to the emergence of poverty as a social condition. Various sources and scholars are referenced to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic. [Extracted from the article]

This document is an introduction to a special issue on international counter-trafficking. It acknowledges that human trafficking is a complex and fluid concept, and that counter-trafficking efforts often prioritize securitarian, moralistic, and neoliberal concerns. The special issue includes articles that provide valuable insights into the experiences of sex workers, Quran teachers, Nigerian migrant women, and women in counter-trafficking programs in Italy and Spain. These articles challenge dominant narratives about trafficking and highlight the need for more critical approaches to counter-trafficking. The author expresses gratitude to the contributors and the journal for their interest in this important topic. [Extracted from the article]

Vocal production learning (the capacity to learn to produce vocalizations) is a multidimensional trait that involves different learning mechanisms during different temporal and socioecological contexts. Key outstanding questions are whether vocal production learning begins during the embryonic stage and whether mothers play an active role in this through pupil-directed vocalization behaviors. We examined variation in vocal copy similarity (an indicator of learning) in eight species from the songbird family Maluridae, using comparative and experimental approaches. We found that (1) incubating females from all species vocalized inside the nest and produced call types including a signature "B element" that was structurally similar to their nestlings' begging call; (2) in a prenatal playback experiment using superb fairy wrens (Malurus cyaneus), embryos showed a stronger heart rate response to playbacks of the B element than to another call element (A); and (3) mothers that produced slower calls had offspring with greater similarity between their begging call and the mother's B element vocalization. We conclude that malurid mothers display behaviors concordant with pupil-directed vocalizations and may actively influence their offspring's early life through sound learning shaped by maternal call tempo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Thinking Like an Economist: How Efficiency Replaced Equality in U.S. Public Policy" by Elizabeth Popp Berman is a book that explores the influence of economic thinking on government policy analysis in the United States. The author argues that economic logic, focused on efficiency and benefit-cost analysis, has come to dominate policy-making processes, often prioritizing efficiency over other goals such as rights and equity. The book provides a historical account of how economic ideas have been applied in government and offers insights into the ethical implications of these ideas. While the book primarily targets academic audiences interested in the history of US government policymaking and economics, it also aims to engage political progressives seeking to rebuild the progressive movement. However, some readers may find the book's analysis of left-right political divisions and the role of economics in politics to be oversimplified. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study by Antonson et al. claims to have found evidence of a niche construction strategy in brown-headed cowbirds. The authors suggest that cowbird nestlings selectively manipulate host brood reduction to favor the presence of two warbler nestlings in the nest. However, the study selectively cites publications and raises questions about the size of the parasitic nestling relative to its host nestmates and the evolution of such a complex adaptation in a generalist brood parasite. The authors also do not address the effect of difference in size between host and brood parasite nestlings or the rate of multiparasitism. Until these issues are resolved, the results only support the begging assistance hypothesis and may be a consequence of the provisioning capacity of the host species. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses Marguerite Duras's novel "The Lover" and its themes of trauma, power dynamics, and identity. The novel tells the story of an affair between a French colonial girl and a Chinese man in pre-World War II Saigon. The narrative style of the novel is described as episodic and enigmatic, with shifts in locations, perspectives, and time frames. The article also explores the disorienting and dislocating effect of the novel's narrative structure, which reflects the uncertainties and dysphoria of lived experiences. The article praises the book for its beauty, passion, and historical acuity, as well as its ability to evoke empathy and fascination with its characters. [Extracted from the article]