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This column discusses the benefits and limitations of continuous assessment by reporting on the authors' perspectives of ongoing assessment using examples from patron surveys designed to understand user experience in the physical library and to measure whether needs were met throughout the pandemic. This column will be helpful to anyone involved in assessment or who is interested in what factors to consider while carrying out ongoing assessment or using evidence-based data for decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a comprehensive history of Wilton Abbey and its nuns from pre-Conquest times to its dissolution in 1539. It discusses the disputed origins of the abbey and its close relationship with the Wessex ruling dynasty. The article also highlights the association of various royal and noble figures with Wilton Abbey, as well as its commitment to monastic revival and literary tradition. It further explores the challenges faced by the abbey, its dissolution, and the uncertain fate of the nuns after its closure. The article concludes with a list of names of individuals associated with Wilton Abbey, providing a valuable resource for researchers. [Extracted from the article]

We applied push–pull–mooring migration theory to open-kitchen restaurants to gain an understanding of customers' revisit intention. Our model assessed the direct impacts of push, pull, and mooring factors on revisit intention to determine the influence of potential variables within each category. We conducted an online survey of 425 participants, employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. We validated the direct effects of the variables on revisit intention using structural equation modeling. Only the mooring factors had a significant direct impact on customer revisit intention. Among the factors that could be controlled by restaurant operators, the pull factor of efficiency and the push factor of smell significantly influenced revisit intention. The findings have valuable insights for open-kitchen restaurant operators seeking to increase customer return likelihood, confirming that these restaurants possess distinct characteristics compared to the traditional restaurants studied in previous research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historians have thoroughly documented the development of mercury-based silver refining in Spanish America in the late sixteenth century, and its use for over 300 years on an industrial scale unknown in Europe. However, we currently lack any consensus about the significance of this technology in the global history of knowledge. This article critically reassesses the invention and improvement of this refining method with the aim of addressing two interrelated issues. Firstly, how experiential knowledge and practical skills in silver refining were deliberately harnessed to solve a specific technical problem. Secondly, how economic incentives and patronage set the stage for empirical practices and a collaborative culture that facilitated the widespread use of this novel technique. In so doing, this article places silver refining within the theoretical constructs and historiography of useful knowledge, and bridges narratives that have remained largely isolated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a review of the book "Lineages Embedded in Temple Networks: Daoism and Local Society in Ming China" by Richard G. Wang. The book focuses on the expansion of Liu Yuanran's lineages in different areas of Ming China and explores the role of Daoism in local society during this time period. It discusses the relationships between local Daoist lineages and the central government, as well as the connections between Daoist temples and local society. The book also examines the influence of Liu Yuanran, a respected Daoist master, on the propagation of state-supported Daoist orthodoxy in the Ming empire. Overall, this book provides a comprehensive and well-researched study of Daoism in Ming China, making it a valuable resource for scholars interested in the religious landscape of the time period. [Extracted from the article]

"Lotus Blossoms and Purple Clouds: Monastic Buddhism in Post-Mao China" by Brian J. Nichols is an ethnographic account that explores the resilience and survival of Quanzhou Kaiyuan Monastery in Southeast China. The author examines the monastery's historical context, its institutional development, and various aspects of religious life, including devotional practices and individual experiences of monks. The book also delves into the role of material culture in constructing religious space and discusses different types of temple management in post-Mao China. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive study of Chinese Buddhist monasticism, grounded in the monastery's physical space and diverse perspectives. [Extracted from the article]

In Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) v. Edge Fitness, LLC, et al., two male patrons located in Connecticut filed complaints arguing that their gyms’ “women only” workout areas were a discriminatory practice. The gyms argued a gender privacy exception was present in the law, but the Connecticut Supreme Court ultimately disagreed. While the legal implications have been examined (Leudman, 2021), the parks and recreation managerial implications have not been discussed. Women’s only spaces are built into many modern fitness facility models and seeing them challenged may open the door to confusion and frustration from patrons. The purpose of this commentary is to reflect on the significance of CHRO v. Edge Fitness, LLC, et al. to parks and recreation spaces and the perspective parks and recreation practitioners can take into the future to reduce cases such as CHRO v. Edge Fitness, LLC, et al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

James Lucett, a London clerk, claimed possession of a secret remedy for curing chronic insanity. In 1813, he and the Irish surgeon Charles Delahoyde secured royal and aristocratic patronage to implement their 'process' and opened a private asylum. They aroused great public interest after apparently remarkable results with hitherto intractable patients from Bethlem and Hoxton. Delahoyde and Lucett attained brief celebrity, but within a year it was evident that the dramatic recoveries were only temporary. Their venture collapsed in disarray and bankruptcy, and the episode was soon largely forgotten. Delahoyde fled to Ireland, but Lucett managed to re-establish himself in practice. This article narrates the origins, operation and failure of the enterprise. A second article will consider Lucett's subsequent career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) bills itself as an alliance. It is seen as Russia's hedge to NATO, yet it often acts in an inconsistent manner vis-a-vis its members when they face crisis situations. These situations are complicated by the fact that the alliance engages in a policy of strategic ambiguity without making a firm commitment to either side of a dispute. Since Russia often acts as a security guarantor on a bilateral level for these states, staying in the alliance may become counterproductive. In order to prevent defection of its members and assuage their fears of abandonment, while maintaining this unofficial policy of strategic ambiguity, and thus help the alliance patron, Russia, avoid entanglement, reassurances are needed. These reassurances come in the form of sunk costs, specifically joint annual military exercise, and the 2022 intervention in Kazakhstan. These sunk costs by the CSTO enhance its reputation for reliability, while maintaining its policy of strategic ambiguity. They reassure its members, assuaging their fear of abandonment, and keeping them invested in the alliance. This will be shown through the use of process tracing in a case study that examines an internal alliance dilemma with two of the organization's members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There was an uncritical transition from handloom clusters to powerloom clusters initiated by the Government of Odisha in 1972, having a debilitating effect on both handloom and powerloom. This article examines the factors contributing to the plight of powerloom clusters in Odisha. In-depth personal interviews were conducted with various stakeholders of Siminoi powerloom clusters of Dhenkanal District in Odisha. A lack of planning in powerloom, education, government patronage, competitiveness, product diversification, marketing, infrastructure bottleneck, and so on is responsible for the plight of powerloom sector in the state. Hence, there is a need to critically integrate both handloom and powerloom in Odisha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steven J. Reid's book, "The Early Life of James VI: A Long Apprenticeship, 1566–1585," is a scholarly biographical study that explores the personal life of James VI and its intersection with Scottish political history. Reid argues that James had more political influence than previously believed, challenging the assumption that he was under the control of various regents during his early years. The book also delves into James's cultural and literary endeavors, such as his hunting activities and his role as a literary patron. While the book provides valuable insights, it could benefit from more engagement with current scholarly debates and a deeper analysis of religious aspects and James's medical history. [Extracted from the article]

This article provides a summary of recent contributions in the field of political and legal anthropology. It discusses themes such as war, violence, grassroots mobilizations, migration, gendered and queer citizenship, and multispecies politics. The article highlights various ethnographic accounts and books that explore these themes, including works on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the war in Ukraine, popular responses to state violence, struggles for Black citizenship in Latin America, and the experiences of migrants and refugees. The article aims to illuminate key thematic currents in contemporary research within the discipline, providing valuable resources for library patrons conducting research on these topics. [Extracted from the article]

Integrating local militias in the counterinsurgency (COIN) operations in Sinai has achieved tangible successes. The presence of local fighters contributed to the penetration of the Islamic State—Sinai Province network. The integration of locals into the ongoing COIN process has imposed a degree of local participation in local governance and decision‐making. Nevertheless, this article argues that there are two approaches to local integration into the COIN operation; the first is institutional integration, in which the state integrates local fighters at an institutional level in the ranks of the security apparatus. The second is the collaborating militia approach. In this pattern, the state resorts to warlords and tribal chiefs to mobilize irregular militias, coordinating with the regular forces in the COIN process without formally merging them into security institutions' ranks. The Egyptian model in the Sinai is one of the latter type. The collaborating militia integration approach into COIN operations contributes to wooing elites to create narrow patronage networks of cronies, preventing systematized community participation in the decision‐making process, which leads to keeping the factors of rebellion alive below the surface even if the rebels are defeated militarily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel and tourism advertising is critical in developing positive associations to attract visitor patronage and build sustainable post-pandemic tourism. An important part of an advertising message is delivered through voice and other aspects of audio, for example, music. However, how audio features impact viewers of travel and tourism advertisements remains unexplored in the research. This study implements advanced audio analytics to test how various features impact upon viewers. The results show that voice quality is important in developing positive affect; advertisement viewers prefer speakers with quieter voices (less mean intensity) that have a higher level of clarity (higher harmonics-to-noise ratio). This can be explained via the heuristic route of the heuristic-systematic model. Music tempo was found to be important in stimulating reactions from advertisements, with faster music being associated with a higher level of positive affect. The paper concludes with practical and theoretical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study delves into the complex interplay of decentralization, patronage, and rent seeking within the context of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA, Act) in Uttar Pradesh (UP). It addresses some pertinent questions: How does decentralization promote corruption? What tactics and strategies does the local implementer (pradhan) adopt to manipulate this Act? Have these manipulations benefited the pradhan? How have these strategies affected poor households? Drawing on data collected through household surveys, and semi-structured interviews with bureaucrats, sitting pradhans, and local power holders, I investigate whether decentralization has enabled marginalized communities to access employment opportunities or has facilitated patronage and rent seeking practices. The findings suggest that political actors and power brokers exploit decentralized structures for personal gains, manipulating resource allocation and beneficiary selection. Such practices of rent seeking can dilute the demand-driven principles of the Act and defeat the objective of equitable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal mining in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, evokes not only struggles on the control of land but also conflicts between different notions of land. Based on ethnographic research in a mining area, I describe a relational attached notion of land which is subdued by a detached, monetary-based understanding in the course of increased mining. In negotiations on the compensation of land with representatives of the mining companies, members of the village elite, which are entangled in patronage networks with the companies, ignore the various notions of land by other villagers and sideline those who are critical. With my article, I contribute to the ontological dimension of environmental conflicts with insights from Southeast Asia thereby giving a diversified picture of the struggles on access and the lacking acknowledgement of different notions of land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on Franklin Roosevelt's influence on the Democratic Party. It brings to light the significant, but underexamined "Third New Deal," the controversial program Roosevelt pursued during his second and third terms. Shortly after his landslide 1936 re‐election, Roosevelt pursued three polarizing initiatives: the Court‐Packing Plan, the 1937 executive reorganization bill, and the 1938 "purge" campaign. These measures, while far from completely successful, began an important transformation that replaced the decentralized, patronage‐based party system, which had dominated the 19th century and remained regnant through the first three decades of the 20th century, with an executive‐centered partisanship, which subordinated parties to the ambitions of the White House. Roosevelt's assault on existing partisan practices—most notably, the unprecedented "purge" campaign—imposed his personal brand on the Democratic Party. More broadly, his profound influence on the Democratic Party led to what Max Weber called the "routinization of charisma," whereby the disruptive leadership of a charismatic leader is displaced by a "mechanism of rules" that transcend "personal authority." The deinstitutionalization of the Democratic Party was part of a broader objective to build an executive‐centered administrative state that Roosevelt and his political allies considered a more effective means to pursue their partisan objectives. Ronald Reagan's presidency signaled that Republicans, no less than Democrats, embraced executive‐centered partisanship. Eventually, as became all too clear during the presidency of Donald Trump, the fusion of executive prerogative and partisanship resulted in a "personal president," as Theodore Lowi termed it, and a plebiscitary politics that denigrated political parties as collective organizations and threatened to turn political parties into cults of personality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the protection motivation theory (PMT), this study examined behavioral intentions within the hospitality and tourism industries in the early days of the pandemic. We examined the intentions to participate in regular hospitality and tourism-specific services using data from 1,100 US participants collected in early May 2020. The results from the structural equation modeling indicated that perceived knowledge of COVID-19 positively influenced perceived vulnerability and perceived severity. Perceived control over COVID-19 was negatively influenced by only perceived severity, but not by the perceived vulnerability. Additionally, a significant positive effect of perceived control over COVID-19 was confirmed on the intention to travel by air and intention to go on vacations, but not on the intention to visit restaurants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the use of material culture as a method for studying the history of philanthropy. The author, a curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, discusses the surprise and misconceptions surrounding the focus on philanthropy as a collection and exhibition topic. The article emphasizes the need to shift the focus from money to material experiences in understanding the historical development of philanthropy. It also mentions other public history institutions and exhibitions that have explored this topic. The article concludes by discussing the emotional responses and interpretative possibilities of studying philanthropy through material culture, and suggests strategies for engaging visitors in exploring the complex stories behind philanthropy objects. [Extracted from the article]

This article examines the life and career of Philippe le Convers, a converted Jew who was a powerful royal administrator and the godson of King Philip the Fair of France (r. 1285-1314). Unlike other high-profile French converts, Philippe does not appear to have contributed to conversionary efforts or to anti-Jewish legislation. The article draws on evidence from financial records and royal letters to evaluate Philippe’s work as a tax collector, master of the Parlement of Paris and forest enquêteur. It also examines the administrative appointments he secured for his relatives and the large estate he amassed at Léry, which he eventually transferred to Queen Jeanne of Burgundy in exchange for payment that significantly exceeded the property’s value. This discussion highlights the ways that the sons and successors of Philip the Fair used their continued patronage of Philippe to emphasise their ties to their late father. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hariulf’s History of St Riquier is usually consulted for detail on liturgical, architectural and political history, but is rarely considered in its entirety. It was written in the changing and competitive world of the late eleventh century, when there were challenges for established communities, both in terms of innovative approaches to monasticism and the emergence of new political entities and potential patrons. In the past that Hariulf creates St Riquier had been the focal point of Ponthieu for generations and had stood the test of time as the conduit of royal patronage and liberality, symbolised by its great Carolingian church built by Abbot Angilbert. It remained, in Hariulf’s view, a centre of monastic excellence, whose abbots responded to and practised contemporary spirituality, and it had adopted strategies to strengthen its position, including care for its patrimony, securing new relics and memorialising its past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mitigate the costs and risks of travel, Greek communities utilized the formal social institution of proxenia. The honorific title of proxenos ("public host") was bestowed upon someone in another community who provided travelers with hospitality services, such as physical accommodation, social access, and legal protections. This social institution of proxenia, similar to but more specific than ancient patronage or benefaction, offers a fruitful heuristic model for interpreting travel among early Christians and the role of host-leaders within the emerging movement. Itinerant Christians would have utilized the proxenos -paradigm and cultivated proxenos -like relationships with prominent Christian hosts. This paper examines how Philemon and Phoebe functioned as proxenos -like hosts for Christians traveling through their respective cities. We conclude with discussions regarding the prominence and authority of proxenia-like host-leaders within early Christian social networks. Such people with the capacity to facilitate travel and grant social inclusion amassed significant power, as they became the centralized nodes enabling social connectivity.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to explain the Czech Republic's geopolitical vacillation between the West and East over the past three and half decades. We tie this behavior, where one orientation never prevails permanently, to the continuity of political elites from the communist to the post-communist periods. In addition to general relevance, we discuss its implications for the country's recent reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The focal points of this analysis are the geopolitical discourses and practices of three consecutive presidents: Václav Havel, Václav Klaus, and Miloš Zeman, each marking a decade in the Czech presidential office. We provide a historical-structural context to show that the Czech case has been an important example of a small state with its security continuously compromised by the hierarchical penetrations of great powers: Nazi Germany, the USSR/Russia, and most recently, China and the United States. Yet, as we demonstrate, the Czech Republic cannot be considered a stereotypical victim with mixed-sovereignty agreements being imposed on it. We present the three presidents in their active roles of geopolitical architects vis-à-vis the great powers as well as the Czech government. Heuristically, we conceptualize presidential foreign-and-security activities as performative geoprostitution. We show that for Havel, the primary act of geoprostitution was institutionalizing a civilizational client-patron relationship between a small state and a superpower (the United States). In contrast, not only was Klaus and Zeman's performative geoprostitution different due to its Eastern orientation, but it was motivated by their self-importance and desire to carve out political legacies and greased by corrupted business interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

John L. Heilbron, a renowned scholar and historian of science, passed away in 2023 at the age of 89. He was known for his vast knowledge and expertise in various fields, ranging from the Scientific Revolution to the 20th century. Heilbron was born in San Francisco in 1934 and completed his education at the University of California, Berkeley. Throughout his career, he held positions at various universities and received numerous awards for his scholarly works. He authored over 20 books and made significant contributions to the history of physics and astronomy. Notably, he challenged the notion of a conflict between religion and science, arguing that the Catholic Church played a significant role in promoting astronomy. Heilbron's work on Galileo and his research on cathedrals as solar observatories were particularly influential. Heilbron's impact extended beyond his research, as he also organized and promoted research projects and mentored many scholars. His dedication to intellectual work and pursuit of truth will be greatly missed. [Extracted from the article]

America's allies have reacted differently to the uncertainty surrounding US global leadership and the return to hard power politics in the 2010s. Some allies have remained steadfast in their commitment to Washington, while others distanced themselves from the United States. Why is it so? This article develops an integrated argument that brings together different strands of the literature on alignment, to better make sense of cross-national and within-case variations in allies' strategic behavior. By examining three case studies from distinct regional contexts – Japan, Poland and Turkey – the paper shows that although these allies all shared concerns about the Obama and Trump administrations' security commitment, it was their differing perceptions of the threats posed by China and Russia's power that influenced their pursuit of either stronger alignment with the US security patron – through internal balancing for 'attractiveness' and internal hedging –, or increased strategic autonomy from Washington by pursuing hard hedging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on reevaluating medieval French literature by reconsidering the connection between the French language and geographical locations like Flanders. Topics include the challenges of defining the linguistic and literary identity of regions like Flanders, the significance of the Dampierre family in shaping literary patronage, and the inclusion of diverse literary works in manuscripts like Paris, which reflects the complex cultural and dynastic dynamics of the time.

Ghana's customary land sector holds great prospects in lending impetus to the country's socio-economic development. Using the Bolgatanga Customary Land Secretariat in the Bolgatanga Traditional Area as the study area, this study examined the current challenges encountered by Customary Land Secretariats in Ghana in delivering on their mandates of streamlining customary land administration. Findings indicate that the Bolgatanga Customary Land Secretariat is well committed to streamlining customary lands management in the Traditional Area. Nonetheless, staff inadequacy, absence of technological integration, low level of patronage, and inadequate cooperation between stakeholders are impeding the Secretariat in achieving the intended objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a summary of Alexander Mikaberidze's biography of Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolenskii, titled "Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace." The biography explores Kutuzov's life as a Russian aristocrat, warrior, diplomat, and serf-owner, with a focus on his role in the Napoleonic Wars and the Russian Empire. The author presents Kutuzov as a complex figure, highlighting his personal charm, intelligence, bravery, and leadership in the victory over Napoleon's army. The biography also addresses the challenge of separating fact from myth in Kutuzov's story. Additionally, the text challenges Tolstoy's portrayal of Kutuzov as a passive observer and presents him as an effective military leader who implemented reforms and made strategic decisions to protect Russia. The biography concludes with a discussion of Kutuzov's legacy and his place in Russian historiography. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses three books that explore Africa-Soviet relations and the Soviet Union's support for African liberation movements against Western imperialism. "Arrested Development" examines the Soviet Union's efforts to disrupt economic links between Ghana, Guinea, and Mali and the West, promoting socialist principles. "Cold War Liberation" focuses on Soviet policy towards anticolonial movements in Lusophone Africa, emphasizing African agency in the collapse of the Portuguese Empire. "Russia in World History" challenges portrayals of Russia as an outlier and argues that its imperial experience is part of European empire. The article also explores various perspectives on imperialism and resistance, highlighting the rejection of the idea that empires can prosper at the expense of others and the environment. It examines the role of religion in feminism as a response to imperialism, compares Soviet Kazakhstan and British Kenya, and discusses the anti-imperial stances of Anna Politkovskaya and Arundhati Roy. The text provides a comparative historical model and contributes to understanding Africa-Soviet relations, empire, and imperialism. [Extracted from the article]

Although foreign policy between great power patrons and their client states is often studied, those of client states and third states within the context of patron-client relations receive little attention. We address this gap through a comparative historical analysis of Israel and Taiwan's defense ties with Central American states from the 1970s until 2019. We argue that clients' initially make decisions based on the preferences of their patrons, but subsequent defense relations with third states depend on how they benefit clients, which may not align with the patron's preferences. Our study, besides adding further theoretical and empirical context to the existing scholarship, compares Israel and Taiwan's long running defense ties with Central American countries, to reveal that both client states began supplying arms and training as surrogates of their patron U.S., but the type of defense goods they subsequently supplied and whether they institutionalised ties were contingent on their expected gains, be it economic, diplomatic, or security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russia's renewed aggression against Ukraine caught many by surprise. This is especially true among those on the centre and far-right of the political spectrum who had previously referred to Russia as a patron of social conservatism and a paradigm of strong leadership and independent actorship in the sphere of international relations. Such a view had been especially prevalent among the right-wing parties in Italy. This article seeks to elucidate how the Italian right has rearticulated its relationship with Russia in the first 100 days after the onset of full-scale war with Ukraine through a critical engagement with the concepts of discursive rupture, legitimacy, and empty signifiers in its logic. By arguing that Russia's previous position as a referent sign of social conservatism and traditionalism has become unfixed in this post-war paradigm, this article posits that those electorally viable actors of the Italian right who were once amenable to Russia in the past will not employ it as a discursive reference for legitimacy in the future, while those on the fringes of the political spectrum will redouble their legitimation of Russia. These findings carry broader implications within the milieu of the European right, as other political actors grapple with analogous challenges of redefining their positions towards Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romila Thapar's book, "The Future in the Past: Essays & Reflections," explores various aspects of India's history, including its social, religious, cultural, and political components. Thapar analyzes how dominant narratives have shaped the prevailing culture and examines the changes that history has undergone. The book covers topics such as ancient Indian civilizations, the role of women, religious extremism, and the function of public intellectuals. Thapar also discusses the distortion of history by those in power and the challenges posed by religious nationalism and Hindutva politics. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of Indian history and its relevance in contemporary society. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the "violence–politics of patronage" nexus of land redistribution and ownership after land reform in Zimbabwe. Foregrounding an analysis of the violence on farms, which has been explored by many scholars in other dimensions, the article presents hard evidence of what happened on these farms post the Fast Track Land Reform Programme. Deploying Gramsci's theory of hegemony, this article interrogates the sociocultural and political linkages of violence, patronage and farm ownership to illuminate the dark realities of land distribution after " jambanja " (farm invasions). The violent behaviour around resettled lands is a manifestation of a well-entrenched patronage system in which those whose political views diverge from the "hegemonic power" lose their land through unscrupulous acts. The violence of the jambanja era, initially targeted at white farmers within the context of a "nativist land revolution", continues to manifest itself in communities, albeit differently. It is, as the French thinker, Jacques Mallet du Pan, said of the French Revolution, "the revolution devouring its own children". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the book "Politics and the Arts in Lisbon and Rome: The Roman Dream of John V of Portugal" edited by Pilar Diez del Corral Corredoira. The book explores the reign of John V of Portugal and his relationship with Rome and eighteenth-century culture. It examines how John V's admiration for Italian arts influenced his efforts to transform Lisbon into a new Rome. The book challenges previous interpretations of John V's reign and offers new insights into this period of Portuguese history. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the complex relationship between civil society, social inequality, and nationhood through examining the motivations of elite members of Welsh civil society as they volunteer to serve on the boards of a wide range of Welsh charities. We interviewed nearly 60 trustees and patrons, all of whom enjoyed successful and influential careers in business, politics, or public service. Their narratives reveal diverse vocabularies of motive, but prominent within these is the desire to 'give something back', and not just to society in general but to Wales in particular. While their desire to 'give back' reflects an awareness of their own privileged position, their commitment to Wales can be seen as a response to the country's historic and current dominance by England, as well as a legacy of non-conformism and community. The article concludes by discussing the implications of these narratives for understanding the specificities of 'geographies of responsibility', civil society, and nationhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to explain the sources of territorial resilience in Russia. It demonstrates that the basis of territorial resilience is the "power vertical," i.e. the current model of center–regional relations. This model ensures political centralization and, consequently, political uniformity. The model is supported by several formalized institutions, including the selection of governors, the guidance and monitoring of governors by the presidential administration, and the interactions of governors with the United Russia party leadership. In addition, regional governors are included in patronage networks organized around the highest state officials and "state oligarchs." This additional informal subsystem provides center–regional relations with a flexibility that is important for maintaining resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have identified individual and organizational factors that influence the turnover intentions of bureaucrats. However, they have overlooked how the type of national bureaucracy influences turnover intention. Combining data sets on macro‐level bureaucratic structures and individual civil servants, we examine how bureaucratic politicization and closedness are associated with the turnover intentions of bureaucrats in 36 countries. Our analysis indicates that there is large cross‐national variation in turnover intention, and that bureaucratic structures matter as one of the predictors of turnover intention. Public servants working in more closed and regulated bureaucracies exhibit lower turnover intention. We also find that public servants working in more politicized bureaucracies (in which personnel decisions are made via political connections) have lower turnover intention than those working in more merit‐based systems. Such low turnover intention in politicized bureaucracies may be explained by the characteristics of patronage appointments in which public jobs are distributed based on personal or political loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the honor of Model County Party Secretary, a prestigious award bestowed by the Communist Party of China to recognize exceptional county party secretaries. Specifically, we investigate how county party secretaries' patronage networks with senior politicians and their relative economic performance compared to other political contestants can impact their likelihood of winning this honor. We collect demographic and biographic data on a sample of over 2000 county party secretaries from various official documents and online sources. Instrumental variable estimations show that, in line with tournament theory, an increase in county party secretaries' relative economic performance enhances their likelihood of receiving the honor. However, county leaders' patronage networks with senior politicians negatively moderate the estimated impact of economic performance. This finding contradicts the inference drawn from patronage theory but supports the conjecture that senior politicians may exploit patronage networks to politically suppress subordinate leaders and prevent political uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the intertwined relationship between civic integration and urban political machines in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America, with scholars offering varying perspectives on why immigrants were mobilized by political bosses, some attributing it to a desire to instill American values while others suggest it was driven by securing electoral support through providing goods and services.

This article examines the determinants of the positioning of secondary states in the US-China conflict over market access for China's Huawei. Our explanations draw on three branches of realism: balance-of-threat theory, patron-client theory, and Hirschman's theory on trade relationships and foreign-policy convergence. For the dependent variable, we assemble a new dataset of the attitudes of 70 states toward Huawei's investment aspirations. We present a series of ordered logit regression models from which three main patterns appear. First, less powerful states seem more acceptive of the Chinese company. Second, those states that rely on US security guarantees tend to be far more rejective of Huawei. Third, whereas trade with China appears to be a factor in the reasonings of other states, trade with the US is not. In sum, the patron-client theory offers the most cogent explanation of the divergence of responses to Huawei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on clientelism, the informal exchange of benefits for political support, has proliferated over the last three decades. However, the existing literature largely ignores the role of religion in shaping clientelism in contemporary politics. In particular, few attempts have been made to explore the relationship between religious ideology and clientelism at the party level: How does political parties' religious ideology impact their clientelist linkages with citizens? This study uses cross-national data of parties in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) from the V-Party database (1970–2019) to answer this question. Our findings reveal that religious parties are more clientelist than secular parties in the MENA. Particularly, parties' ties with social organizations mediate the relationship between religious ideology and clientelism. This study extends the literature on the impact of religion on informal political institutions by focusing on the ideology and linkage strategy of political parties in the MENA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early medieval period saw the spread of Buddhism from India into China and the development of Daoism as a religious institution. By the early Tang dynasty, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism were referred to as the three teachings, and had developed separate institutions; representatives of the three teachings were competing at court for patronage and influence. This paper probes the extent to which the institutionalization of these three teachings as separate, often competing, entities is mirrored at the philosophical level and attempts to delineate the fault lines of philosophical contention among them. Scholarship on Daoist chongxuan philosophy, as it developed in early Tang Changan, documents Daoists' utilization of Buddhist concepts and terminologies, implying shared discourses. This paper extends this investigation to include Confucianism, focusing on excerpts from two texts written in early seventh-century Changan: the Confucian Zhouyi zhengyi and the Daoist Daode jing yishu, as a case study for a synchronic contextualization across the boundaries of the teachings. Analyzing explicit demarcation discourses and intertextual occurrences of specific terminologies, the paper juxtaposes the Daoist and Confucian conceptualizations of the "sage who embodies Dao". Through this analysis, the paper explores shared discourses and demarcations in philosophical thought among the three teachings, emphasizing the complexity of fault lines in philosophical arguments, which resist simplistic alignment with sectarian affiliations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional social protection programmes that fail to intentionally consider climate change effects in their design and delivery are criticised for not addressing the root causes of vulnerability to climate change, particularly for rural livelihoods. Increasingly, we see a shift to adaptive social protection programming to address climate vulnerability, which incorporates transformative objectives. However, there is a dearth of research into the transformative effects of adaptive approaches. Addressing this gap, we employ a "rights-based approach" to assess how adaptive social protection affords greater transformative resilience and wellbeing outcomes over conventional social protection programming. Taking Bangladesh as our case, empirical data show that although social protection programming incorporates some transformative elements, their impacts in terms of subjective resilience and wellbeing outcomes are limited. These limited outcomes result from prevailing clientelism, inadequate benefits paid to participants, lack of beneficiary participation in decision-making, and failure to address unequal gender norms and power relations. These failures are intentionally obscured through the performative practice of corrupted reporting. We conclude by proposing social protection features that are expected to promote more equitable, inclusive and just pathways to sustainably reduce climate induced vulnerability of subsistence farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Recycling Infrastructures in Cambodia: Circularity, Waste, and Urban Life in Phnom Penh" by Kathrin Eitel is a comprehensive examination of waste recycling practices in Phnom Penh. The book focuses on the involvement of socially marginalized waste pickers and explores the maintenance and care practices that sustain the recycling infrastructure. Eitel emphasizes the importance of understanding infrastructure as a constellation of circular singularities, rather than a linear system. The book provides valuable insights into waste management, urban development, and the socio-political dynamics at play in Cambodia. [Extracted from the article]

The aim of this article is to deepen our understanding of the moral outlook that characterizes cultural organizations as political actors. Through a review of contributions to a public consultation on cultural policy in Norway, we seek to elucidate the moral economy these actors bring to bear on their relations to the state. More specifically, we focus on the actors' understandings of the state's moral obligations towards the cultural sector and how these notions relate to the experiences and concerns of cultural organizations. One such experience that surfaces in the public consultation is the strong engagement of members of cultural organizations, while another is a sense of vulnerability and perceived threats to art and culture posed by various forces in society. Against this background, we explore different understandings of the roles and responsibilities of the state in cultural policy that cultural organizations give voice to, noting the dominance of a conception of cultural policy as state patronage. In accordance with this understanding, the obligations of the state are to recognize the unique value and importance of cultural organizations, to provide them with the necessary resources, and to protect them from external threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into social group structures, examining them through the prism of kinship ties. At the core of our exploration is Marshall Sahlins's definition of kinship as "mutuality of being," which will be elaborated towards the article's conclusion. We home in on the first four centuries of Islam (approximately 600–1000 CE), a pivotal era marked by shifts in social affiliations and loyalties. Initially, "mutuality of being" was deeply influenced by patron-client relationships, known as the Islamic patronate (walāʾ). Yet, by the era's end, "mutuality of being" evolved to resonate more with affiliations to one of the three major Islamic currents or their subsets: Kharijite, Shiite, or Sunnite Islam. Our objective is to dissect the societal transformations during this period, from a Muslim society anchored in Arab tribal loyalty to one gravitating towards the aforementioned religious currents. We then connect these observations to Sahlins's kinship theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

De facto states need external support to advance their national interests. Many of them depend on their patron's assistance, thus becoming their clients. In turn, patronless de facto states derive certain benefits from engaging with various external actors. This study proposes including a new category of actors in this group, namely quasi-patrons, whose relations with de facto states resemble the patron—client relationship. This means that patronless de facto states can enjoy greater external support than the literature suggests. To illustrate the relationship between client de facto states and quasi-patrons, the case of Somaliland and Ethiopia is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]