Vol. 2 No. 1 (2024)

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1126

Leisure class stratification among Chinese residents: Evidence from the CGSS
by Weifei Li, Xuping Wang, Jianyun Zhu

Journal of Policy and Society, Vol.2, No.1, 2024; 132 Views, 61 PDF Downloads

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/jps.v2i1.1126

Amidst rapid societal progression in China, leisure has become a crucial component of Chinese residents’ daily lives. However, the unequal distribution of social resources across social strata significantly affects their leisure patterns and practices. This study utilizes data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) spanning 2006, 2010, and 2017, analyzing the frequency and types of leisure engagement as dependent variables through mean, variance, and OLS regression analyses. The findings indicate considerable leisure stratification within Chinese society, both subjectively and objectively; there are significant differences in leisure participation frequency and type among different social strata, particularly in developed leisure activities. The conclusions of this study may aid in understanding the current state of leisure class stratification among Chinese residents, while its practical recommendations could help mitigate the issues of leisure stratification within Chinese society.

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Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1426

Jazz music: From black pride to political consciousness to social change in the United States
by Jeremy Julian Sarkin, Eryn Sarkin

Journal of Policy and Society, Vol.2, No.1, 2024; 227 Views, 207 PDF Downloads

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/jps.v2i1.1426

African Americans have been marginalised, discriminated against, and excluded from American society for centuries. First as slaves, but later when they gained emancipation, they remained relegated, differentiated, and discounted, in a range of areas, including in the political and economic spheres. Music has been a means to promote their greater inclusion in American society, drawing together and uniting all Americans through its power. While there have been links drawn between music and the African American struggle for equality, there has not been sufficient focus on the pivotal role that specifically jazz music has played in this regard. Jazz particularly has been a vehicle for promoting Black pride, political consciousness, and social change. This article argues that jazz has had a major effect on African American culture, society, and experience. Analysing the works of legendary jazz musicians James Brown, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, and The Temptations, this article shows that jazz is not only as a catalyst for, but a driving force in, the fight for political freedom, as well as for economic empowerment, which is arguably still ongoing today.

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Open Access

Article

Article ID: 466

Energy literacy among young adults in the European countries
by Darko Kovačič, Ana Ulbin, Andreja Abina, Aleksander Zidanšek, Damjan Krajnc

Journal of Policy and Society, Vol.2, No.1, 2024; 64 Views, 34 PDF Downloads

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/jps.v2i1.466

Energy literacy is an essential prerequisite for informed and sustainable energy consumption habits. Our paper focuses on factors influencing young adults’ attitudes and behaviours and their knowledge of sustainable energy consumption practices. The research was conducted in five European countries, Austria, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia and Poland, and data were collected from 219 young adults between the ages of twenty-nine and thirty-nine. The methods used are statistical analyses, including principal component analysis, a technique for analysing large data sets and identifying influencing factors. We used a statistical software package (SPSS) for the analyses. Our analysis revealed five significant factors influencing the energy literacy of young adults. The key factors were education and awareness, investment in energy efficiency, age and gender, climate change and environmental protection, sustainable lifestyle and social environment. Policymakers, educators and other stakeholders can work towards creating a more energy-literate and sustainable society by understanding the key factors that influence energy literacy.

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Open Access

Case Study

Article ID: 1655

Considering state administrative decrees (SAD) by artificial intelligence from the transparency principle in Indonesia (Case study: The ministry of law and human rights of the republic Indonesia)
by Muhammad Guntur Hamonangan Nasution, Nia Faridatul Khasanah

Journal of Policy and Society, Vol.2, No.1, 2024; 77 Views, 41 PDF Downloads

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/jps.v2i1.1655

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now touched the realm of government, such as in the creation of State Administrative Decrees (SAD/Keputusan Tata Usaha Negara/KTUN). The involvement of AI in this realm leaves questions regarding the application of its transparency aspects based on the Indonesian legal context. This article aims to understand the phenomenon of using AI for SADs in Indonesia and to find out the application of the principle of transparency generally and contextually in terms of using AI for SADs. This research is normative-empirical research with a conceptual and statutory approach by conducting literature studies and respondent interviews. As a result, SADs as a product of government administrative action in several cases have been using AI and have received normative recognition. On the other hand, there is legislation that regulates the general aspects of SAD transparency, especially related to public information openness and personal data protection. AI transparency itself can be divided into two concepts, namely: technical transparency and justifiable transparency. Justifiable transparency is considered more convenient and suitable to be applied in Indonesia.

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The rapid increase in the use of disposable baby diapers in urban areas is associated with a number of environmental challenges. This study assesses the environmental challenges of disposable baby diapers in Hwange, Zimbabwe. Questionnaires, interviews, and field observations were used for data collection in this study. Data collected from the field was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 and Microsoft Excel. The study findings show that pollution, diseases, and odours are the major challenges of poor waste management associated with disposable baby diapers in Hwange ZPC residential areas. The study recommends the involvement of responsible authorities in conscientious recycling and education on waste management. The research also recommends the need to conduct longitudinal research to establish the position of local and central government in the bid to promote a safe and healthy environment in mining towns such as Hwange, as they are overlooked.

COVID-19 affected various communities across the globe in different ways. The study assessed the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on domestic violence in Southlea-Park residential area in Harare. A mixed methods research design was adopted as it allowed use of both qualitative and quantitative data collection approaches. Questionnaires, interviews and observations were employed for data collection. The research showed that DV in Southlea Park residential area emanated from drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, and conflicts over decision- making between parents, prostitution and food insufficiency among others. The study indicated that most dominant forms of DV in Southlea Park during the COVID-19 lockdown period included physical, emotional and verbal violence. The findings from this study indicated that males suffered more from verbal and psychological violence whilst females suffered more from physical, economic, sexual and emotional violence. The research concludes that COVID-19 had massive influence on domestic violence, however, the Zimbabwe Republic Police should ensure deployment of police officers in temporally camps within or close to residential areas that are far from police stations to ensure public safety during situations that trigger domestic and other forms of violence in residential areas and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development in Zimbabwe should ensure availability of agents responsible for ensuring against vulnerability of people to gender, domestic and other forms of violence in all communities of the country especially during situations that trigger violence.

The study assessed land use/cover changes in Upper Runnde sub-catchment in Zimbabwe between 2000 and 2020 using GIS and remote sensing techniques with the support of interviews and field observations. Faster land use/cover changes were experienced within the 2000–2010 decade when compared to the 2010–2020 decade for instance bare land increased by 92.1% between 2000–2010 compared to 16.5% between 2010–2020. Major land cover transformations included change from forest land to bare land, grassland and shrub land, change from grassland to bare and shrub land to grassland. The results confirmed conversion of forests to agricultural lands and settlements following the fast track land reform program in 2000 and livestock increase induced overgrazing as major human activities driving land cover changes. There is a need for serious attention from resource management stakeholders before depletion of critical resources like water and woodlands. Therefore, The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority may consider strict auditing of land uses and water resource use in catchment areas to guard against encroachment of agriculture and other land uses in protected lands and fragile ecosystems like water bodies and wetlands.