Beyond the Social Contract: Power, Right, and State in Spinoza's Political Philosophy

This paper examines Baruch Spinoza’s political theory and its evolution from the Theologico-Political Treatise to the Political Treatise. Spinoza’s mature political philosophy rejects the notion of a voluntary transfer of power central to Hobbesian contractualism, instead grounding political authority in power relations and the passions. By exploring Spinoza’s metaphysical stance on power and natural right, the paper contrasts his ideas with Hobbes, arguing that civil society is a natural extension of human interaction instead of a rational, contractual agreement. Ultimately, Spinoza’s theory offers a compelling philosophical alternative to traditional social contract frameworks

Congressmen as Constituents

This research looks at the work of Richard Fenno Jr., author of “U.S House Members in their Constituencies: An Exploration,”as published in the 1977 American Political Science Review. This research seeks to expand upon Fenno’s work by exploring amedium unavailable in the late 1970’s – social media and personal web pages. Through a consideration of Facebook and Twitter,this paper explores how representatives use social media to appear as a part of their respective constituencies. This research also uses social media to further explore Fenno’s argument that politicians polish their image at the expense of Congress

Defining the Doctorate in Africa: Aligning Purpose with Context

A rapid rise in doctoral education across the African continent has occurred without sufficient engagement as to the purposes of a doctorate. The assumption that the doctorate drives the knowledge economy is evident in national policies, implicitly or explicitly, but there is neither interrogation of this supposedly causal relationship, nor deliberation as to how the doctorate might be positioned as a common good in postindependence countries

Embracing Complexities: Transformations of International Student Mobility amid Global Turmoil

Although scholarship on international student mobility (ISM) is extensive, the evolving landscape of ISM, with increasingly diverse rationales, actors, and modalities, requires new data and forms of understanding. This article reflects on the new developments in ISM in the context of postpandemic and geopolitical turmoil. We conclude by urging scholars to engage in critical examination of the dominant theories and concepts informing our understanding of mobility.&nbsp

Chinese Private Higher Education Under Pressure: Quality, Policy, and Demographic Decline

Situated at the bottom of the echelon in the highly stratified Chinese higher education system, private higher education (PHE) faces existing challenges while being confronted with new uncertainties that threaten its survival. This article discusses the persistent quality improvement challenge and an increasingly volatile policy environment that Chinese PHE faces

Fishy Business:: Unveiling Organized Crime in the Fulton Fish Market During Prohibition

This essay explores the role of organized crime in the Fulton Fish Market during the Prohibition era (1920-1933), focusing on the ways in which criminal syndicates exploited the market's strategic location and the growing demand for illicit goods. During this time, the market, one of the largest seafood distribution centers in the United States, became a hotbed for illegal activities including bootlegging, extortion, and the manipulation of labor. Drawing on historical accounts, legal records, and contemporary newspaper reports, the paper examines the intricate web of criminal operations that infiltrated the market, highlighting the complex interplay between law enforcement, political corruption, and organized crime groups. By unveiling the often-overlooked link between Prohibition and the rise of the criminal underworld in the commercial sector, the essay sheds new light on how economic and political factors enabled the expansion of illegal enterprises within the very heart of New York City's bustling commercial trade. Through this analysis, the paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the broader social and economic impact of organized crime during the Prohibition era and its lasting legacy on urban markets

Greece’s Breaking Away from the Public Monopoly on Higher Education

Andreas Vasilopoulos is assistant professor at the University of Patras, Greece. E-mail: [email protected]

Social Origin, Skills, and Graduates’ Formal Employability in Brazil

This article explores how family background and skills affect the job prospects of Brazilian college graduates. Using national data on graduates with formal jobs four years after graduation, the study finds that high-achieving students from lower-income families are more likely to secure jobs than their wealthier peers. However, students from wealthier backgrounds and those with specific skills related to their field of study often land better jobs

Selling Sex, Drink and Gender: A Storyville Story

From 1897 to 1917, there existed a legally sanctioned (though not technically legal) Red Light district in the city of New Orleans. Dubbed Storyville in dubious honor of the city alderman, Sidney Story, who allowed for its creation, the red light district spanned several blocks comprising both single-room bagnios and elaborate “high-end” brothels. Storyville’s pseudo-legal status allowed for multiple, regularly published guidebooks to the district—advertising everything from brothels and individual sex workers to restaurants, liquor and cures for venereal diseases. The scholarship on Storyville is sparse and often fails to recognize the complex gender dynamics playing out between the high end Madams, who held considerable economic sway as the “faces” and partial owners of their own establishments, and their male backers who controlled the service and entertainment complex that surrounded Storyville. In this paper, I examine advertising in Storyville’s guidebooks—archived in Pamela Anderson’s Guidebooks to Sin—to illustrate how Storyville constructed placating narratives of masculinity, especially around the districts entries, to put customers at ease while maintaining the brothels themselves as a heightened space of feminine exoticism. There is a particular focus throughout the paper on the advertisement of alcohol and how different beverages, drunk in different spaces, took on gendered connotations