A Multifunctional Account of Political Feasibility

In this article, I argue for a “multifunctional account” of political feasibility and against recent attempts by several theorists to defend accounts of political feasibility that reduce feasibility judgments to a single function. According to the view I defend, political feasibility can (and should) serve multiple useful functions in our political deliberative practices. This pluralist and context-dependent approach allows us to retain the insights provided by various monofunctional accounts, while avoiding the limitations of each

The Influence of Water Molecules on the π* Shape Resonances of the Thymine Anion.

Low-energy electrons have been shown to resonantly attach to DNA, inducing strand breakages and other damaging lesions. While computational studies have suggested that the nucleobase moieties can serve as the initial attachment site, there remains ambiguity over the exact character of the temporary anion resonances that form due to the unestablished role of the surrounding environment. Here, we investigate the influence of an aqueous environment on the low-lying anion shape resonances of the π* character of the thymine anion by applying frequency-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy to thymine-water cluster anions, T (H O) , with an increasing degree of hydration, . Our results indicate that spontaneous solvent rearrangement will stabilize the π * and π * states into bound electronic states, and we observe evidence for internal conversion to the anion ground state, further aiding long-term electron capture via these resonances

Governance and accountability in reshaping public services: Open challenges and Wicked Problems of the 21st Century

Issues of accountability are ubiquitous in public governance. Accountability connects with other concerns like legitimacy, power, citizen engagement, and new modes of service production. These issues and connections become all the more poignant given the evolving landscape of public services amidst the backdrop of 21st-century poly-crises. The pieces in this special issue explore these dynamics, particularly concerning shifting governing modes, contractual arrangements, performance management, and digitalization. New service delivery models introduce complexities beyond efficiency, impacting power dynamics and stakeholder interests. In this introductory piece, the editors introduce these issues, highlight the enduring questions from the literature informing this special issue, and introduce the 14 pieces. The editors end by reflecting on accountability’s importance through discussions of accountability for neoliberalism and performance measurement, contracting out, liberty, democracy, social equity, and human-centered public governance

Does leader personality predict abusive supervision?

As the negative consequences of abusive supervision become increasingly evident, the investigation of its antecedents is an important topic. Our review shows that leader personality as a predictor of abusive supervision has mainly been studied using the Dark Triad traits. The Big Five and HEXACO personality frameworks have been used to a lesser extent. Taken together, Agreeableness, Machiavellianism, Psychopathy, and Narcissism are most convincingly related to abusive supervision. Additionally, Narcissism split into its facets clarifies some of the previously mixed results. Finally, we also identify several areas for future research. Notably, we recommend investigating facet-level personality dimensions and profiles and changes in personality. More recent research has shown that leader personality interacts with context and follower behavior in predicting leader rated abusive supervision (intentions). Finally, research could benefit from a triangulation of different methods, including self- and other-ratings of personality and observational data

Academic Tracking in Germany as a Challenge to Children's Rights: Implications for School Leadership

Academic tracking in education is the process of assigning students to different classes or schools based on an assessment of their abilities or interests. The aim of tracking policies is to improve the efficiency of the education system by grouping students. This article provides an overview of the education system by grouping students. This article provides an overview of the tracking system in Germany and focuses on some of the challenges associated with academic tracking in relation to children's right to education. These include unequal learning conditions between hierarchically structured tracks and limited opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend academically oriented schools. There is also a lack of clear evidence on whether and how the mobility between tracks in German secondary schools could address these challenges. These issues are discussed using Tomaševski’s 4A framework to consider how these challenges relate to the availability, accessibility, acceptability and adaptability of formal educational settings. Finally, the article discusses some implications for school leadership in ensuring robust and equitable tracking recommendations, raising parental awareness, and advocating for innovative and inclusive policy changes

Fifteen years of Pupil Premium policy in England

The introduction and nationwide implementation of the Pupil Premium policy in 2011 was a major policy initiative by the then Coalition Government to address socioeconomic segregation between schools in England, and reduce the persistent attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. Over the past fifteen years, the policy has undergone some modifications to maintain its suitability for addressing educational disadvantage. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the policy, discussing its evolution, challenges, and the limitations of evaluations so far. We then present a summary of our research findings on the impact of the policy on socioeconomic segregation and educational attainment, using data on schools, pupils, and household earnings. The chapter ends with a discussion of the findings and their implications