An Assessment of Digital Rights and Freedoms Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic and the 2021 General Elections. A Case Study of Uganda

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Baruga
Keyword(s):  
Digital Rights ◽  
General Elections

scholarly journals Navigating Digital Borderscapes: A Case Study from Rohingya Refugee Settlements in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-210
Author(s):  
Faheem Hussain ◽  
Yenn Lee
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
Digital Rights ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Refugee Community ◽  
Hybrid Solutions ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Host Government

Abstract Based on a case study of the lived experiences of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh between 2017 and 2019, this article focuses on displaced people’s digital needs and innovative efforts to navigate the challenges in their situation. The article first discusses the major barriers faced by Rohingya refugees in using various digital devices and platforms and how these obstacles adversely affect them in obtaining necessary information and humanitarian services. Our findings from the field highlight the uniquely important role that mobile repair shops in the camps play in providing online-offline hybrid solutions to circumvent restrictions imposed on the refugee community by the host government. The findings also show that different types of community leaders have emerged and that Rohingya women use digital means to push back against double discrimination. The article concludes with policy considerations related to the geopolitically transcendent issues of displacement, democracy, and digital rights.

Digital media as a driver of change in political organisation: 2010 and 2015 UK general elections

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1343-1359
Author(s):  
Anthony Ridge-Newman
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Conservative Party ◽  
General Elections ◽  
Run Up ◽  
The Impact

In Britain, by 2015, Web 2.0 had become a more widely accepted and established mode of civic engagement of which political e-participation became an observable extension. However, in the run-up to 2010, social media were newer, less understood and largely associated with younger generations. These changes present questions about how wider technocultural developments impacted political engagement between the 2010 and 2015 UK general elections. This article aims to go some way in examining this question with a theoretical focus on the role of Facebook as a driver of change in political organisation. Using the British Conservative Party as a case study, the article analyses and compares events, observations and shifting power relations associated with digital technology and organisational change observed over two election cycles spanning from 2005 to 2015. A focal aim is to examine changes in Conservative Party campaigns and organisation in order to contribute to wider debates about the impact of digital technology in changing the organisation and activities of actors, like political parties and political participants, in democratic contexts. The article concludes that a complex combination of internal and external, technological and human, and grassroots and centralised factors played roles in changing the Conservative Party.

scholarly journals Data ecosystems for protecting European citizens’ digital rights

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Calzada ◽  
Esteve Almirall
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Rights ◽  
European Cities ◽  
Data Infrastructures ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Research And Policy

Purpose This paper aims to spark a debate by presenting the need for developing data ecosystems in Europe that meet the social and public good while committing to democratic and ethical standards; suggesting a taxonomy of data infrastructures and institutions to support this need; using the case study of Barcelona as the flagship city trailblazing a critical policy agenda of smart cities to show the limitations and contradictions of the current state of affairs; and ultimately, proposing a preliminary roadmap for institutional and governance empowerment that could enable effective data ecosystems in Europe. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on lessons learned in previous publications available in the sustainability (Calzada, 2018), regions (Calzada and Cowie, 2017; Calzada, 2019), Zenodo (Calzada and Almirall, 2019), RSA Journal (Calzada, 2019) and IJIS (Calzada, 2020) journals and ongoing and updated fieldwork about the Barcelona case study stemming from an intensive fieldwork action research that started in 2017. The methodology used in these publications was based on the mixed-method technique of triangulation via action research encompassing in-depth interviews, direct participation in policy events and desk research. The case study was identified as the most effective methodology. Findings This paper, drawing from lessons learned from the Barcelona case study, elucidates on the need to establish pan-European data infrastructures and institutions – collectively data ecosystems – to protect citizens’ digital rights in European cities and regions. The paper reveals three main priorities proposing a preliminary roadmap for local and regional governments, namely, advocacy, suggesting the need for city and regional networks; governance, requiring guidance and applied, neutral and non-partisan research in policy; and pan-European agencies, leading and mobilising data infrastructures and institutions at the European level. Research limitations/implications From the very beginning, this paper acknowledges its ambition, and thus its limitations and clarifies its attempt to provide just an overview rather than a deep research analysis. This paper presents several research limitations and implications regarding the scope. The paper starts by presenting the need for data ecosystems, then structures this need through two taxonomies, all illustrated through the Barcelona case study and finally, concludes with a roadmap consisting of three priorities. The paper uses previous published and ongoing fieldwork findings in Barcelona as a way to lead, and thus encourage the proliferation of more cases through Cities Coalition for Digital Rights (CCDR). Practical implications This paper presents practical implications for local and regional authorities of the CCDR network. As such, the main three priorities of the preliminary roadmap could help those European cities and regions already part of the CCDR network to establish and build operational data ecosystems by establishing a comprehensive pan-European policy from the bottom-up that aligns with the timely policy developments advocated by the European Commission. This paper can inspire policymakers by providing guidelines to better coordinate among a diverse set of cities and regions in Europe. Social implications The leading data governance models worldwide from China and the USA and the advent of Big Data are dramatically reshaping citizens’ relationship with data. Against this backdrop and directly influenced by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Europe has, perhaps, for the first time, spoken with its own voice by blending data and smart city research and policy formulations. Inquiries and emerging insights into the potential urban experiments on data ecosystems, consisting of data infrastructures and institutions operating in European cities and regions, become increasingly crucial. Thus, the main social implications are for those multi-stakeholder policy schemes already operating in European cities and regions. Originality/value In previous research, data ecosystems were not directly related to digital rights amidst the global digital geopolitical context and, more specifically, were not connected to the two taxonomies (on data infrastructures and institutions) that could be directly applied to a case study, like the one presented about Barcelona. Thus, this paper shows novelty and originality by also opening up (based on previous fieldwork action research) a way to take strategic action to establish a pan-European strategy among cities and regions through three specific priorities. This paper can ultimately support practice and lead to new research and policy avenues.

scholarly journals Voting Pattern in District of Dir: A Case Study of Three General Elections (from 2002 to 2013)

sjesr ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 154-161
Author(s):  
Muhammad Rashid ◽  
Dr. Husnul Amin
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Electoral Politics ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Political Determinants ◽  
Nation States ◽  
General Elections ◽  
People’S Attitudes

Voting pattern is one of the important themes of political science that, indicates the level of political participation of citizens in modern democracies, through the electoral process. The electoral processes have played an important role throughout history and in the overall political discourse of the modern nation-states. In this regard, this research is designed to find out the determinants of voting patterns in the two Districts of Dir. The objective of this study is to understand people’s attitudes toward electoral politics and voting practices. This study will seek to respond to the query regarding the role of multiple political factors that contribute to shaping voting patterns. The nature of the study is descriptive while using quantitative data.  The collected data is analyzed through statistical and interpretative methods. This research is based on the theoretical framework of sociological, psycho-social, and rational choice models that focus on the political determinants of the voting pattern in Districts of Dir

scholarly journals An analysis of students' attitude toward electoral politics in 2018 general elections: A case Study of Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 279-300
Author(s):  
Noor Hamid Khan Mahsud ◽  
Wasai ◽  
Munawar Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Electoral Politics ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
General Attitude ◽  
General Elections ◽  
Administrative Units

This paper seeks to investigate educated youth's attitudes toward electoral politics in general, and the 2018 general elections, in particular. For this purpose, the researchers conducted a case study of Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad (QAU). One of the major objectives of this study was to ascertain educated youth's general attitude toward electoral politics and know whether there exist any variations in the thinking of students with diverse ethnic, social, and academic backgrounds. The author also wanted to find possible explanations for any such variations. Therefore, the paper first presents overall findings of the study and then analyses the responses on the basis of respondents' gender, their disciplines, and ethnic identity. For better results, the researchers used mixed research method. He first collected quantitative data through a survey and then interviewed different people to find possible explanations for the findings. The study found that there are great variations in the thinking of students belonging to different provinces/administrative units, academic disciplines, and genders. The findings necessitate comprehensive reforms in the electoral system.

scholarly journals PUBLIC PERCEPTION REGARDING MONEY POLITICS IN GENERAL ELECTION 2019 (COMPARTIVE STUDY ON TEGAL CITY AND TEGAL REGENCY)

CosmoGov ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Sri Sutjiatmi ◽  
Dwian Hartomi Akta Padma Eldo ◽  
Arif Zainudin
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
General Election ◽  
The Political ◽  
The People ◽  
High Knowledge ◽  
General Elections ◽  
Democratic System ◽  
High Attitude

This paper is intended to look at the condition of Indonesia related to the still rampant occurrence of money politics which is a problem in the community when the 2019 elections simultaneously. This research takes a case study between Tegal City and Tegal Regency. The interesting thing in this study is to see how the community's assessment of the Tegal city and Tegal Regency groups regarding money politics in the 2019 elections simultaneously. The method used is a mixed method (between Mixed Methods) between quantitative and qualitative, by calculating the Solvin formula by deepening the analysis by interviewing the speakers directly. The results of the study showed that the people of Tegal City had a relatively high attitude of not paying attention to the Politics of Money in the General Election relating to the political money of the General Elections in 2019 at the same time. Unlike the people of Tegal Regency who consider money politics as a culture that is difficult to remove. Also interesting is the beginner voter group Tegal Regency has a fairly high knowledge about money politics that can damage the democratic system compared to the Beginner voters in Tegal City.

Digital Rights Management and E-Commerce Transactions

2009 ◽  
pp. 214-242
Author(s):  
Dimitrios P. Meidanis
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Property Rights ◽  
Intellectual Property Rights ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Digital Rights Management ◽  
Electronic Trade ◽  
Digital Rights ◽  
Organizational Challenges ◽  
Rights Management

This chapter investigates intellectual property rights clearance of as part of e-commerce. Rights clearance is viewed as another online transaction that introduces certain technological and organizational challenges. An overview of the current intellectual property rights legislation is used to describe the setting in which business models and digital rights management systems are called to perform safe and fair electronic trade of goods. The chapter focuses on the technological aspects of the arising issues and investigates the potentials of using advanced information technology solutions for facilitating online rights clearance. A case study that presents a working online rights clearance and protection system is used to validate the applicability of the proposed approaches.

Problematising Hateful Ethno-Political Rhetoric in Facebook and Twitter during 2017 General Elections in Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 162-174
Author(s):  
Fredrick Meeme Irimba; Jacinta Ndambuki; Florence Mwithi
Keyword(s):  
Hate Speech ◽  
Political Rhetoric ◽  
Political Mobilization ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Mediated Discourse ◽  
General Elections ◽  
The Government ◽  
Negative Attributes

The purpose of this study is to examine online hate discourse; with a focus on the construction of online ethno-political rhetoric as a form of hate speech during Kenya's 2017 general election. The study employed a qualitative case study design which entailed an empirical investigation of a particular phenomenon using multiple evidence. Purposive sampling allowed the researcher to observe, collect and analyse only the specific materials that had the characteristics relevant to the objective of this study. Working within Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis (CMDA) framework, we analyse a purposively selected sample of sixteen posts from FB (ten) and Twitter (six) derived from the initial sample of 360 posts collected through online observation of Facebook groups and hashtags trending in Kenya between July and November 2017. ‘The findings point at the shifting hate speech battle fields where ethno-political extremism in form of ‘Us against Them’ discourse finds easy expression online through dehumanizing epithets and metaphors that de-personalize and de-characterize the target, bringing to salience their perceived negative attributes in order to justify prejudice against them as a tool of political mobilization. These insights are relevant in understanding hate speech in multi-ethnic cultural contexts in society generally and specifically in Kenya. The study recommends that the government of Kenya and other key stakeholders should develop a media literacy policy on the moral responsibility in embracing netiquette and responsible netizenship in online interactions. 

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