Public Perceptions of Violent Knife Crime: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis

Introduction: Violent knife crime in the UK is a complex issue, littered with ambiguities between understanding the problem and actioning impactful strategies to address it. Understanding of knife crime is complicated by inconsistent practices regarding official statistics and a lack of definition; however, social psychology may offer a means of understanding VKC that is independent from official statistics. Methods: The current study aimed to research violent knife crime from a social identity approach (SIA) to understand the psychological structures and group processes that contribute to its continuation. Fifteen interviews were conducted with participants recruited via social media and interview transcripts were analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA).Results: Four themes were identified: (1) Views of VKC connected to stereotypes; (2) Media influence on beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes related to VKC; (3) Categorization of offenders as members of the out-group and victims as part of the in-group; and (4) The importance of multi-agency action. Discussion: The themes were framed within a social identity approach, with reference to the social identity model of collective action. Discussions around the need for collective action toward social change are explored and a SIA informed public health approach is considered

The supporters and benefactors of the Royal Manchester College of Music (RMCM): musical patronage and philanthropy in Manchester, 1891–1920

‘Hallé also founded the Royal Manchester College of Music…’.1 This phrase is an oft-repeated summary of the establishment of the RMCM in the 1890s, but it is only a partial representation of what occurred. In the Preface to his history of the College, Michael Kennedy refers to the ‘ghosts of the past’, naming particularly Charles Hallé and Gustav Behrens.2 In this thesis I argue that it was less eminent ghosts - the supporters and benefactors whose contribution has not been recognised hitherto - who were as important as Hallé in founding the RMCM, and enabling its continuation. I place this argument in the context of the philanthropic support of other educational institutions in the city in the last three decades of the nineteenth century, and the increasing demand, during the 1880s, for a conservatoire of music in Manchester. I examine the events leading to the establishment of the RMCM, focussing not only on those who were directly involved but also on the membership of wider networks whose support was sought financially, and in order to give the project credibility. I analyse these networks in relation to the initial project and in the years after 1893 up to 1920, demonstrating that involvement with the city’s musical institutions and membership of its leading business organisations were particularly significant factors. By examining these relationships in depth I provide evidence that validates the assertions about networks made previously by commentators on social and cultural life in nineteenth-century Manchester. I end by highlighting connections between key individuals, their position in civic life and involvement in the other musical institutions, and noting those who were celebrated for their philanthropy. In the light of recent research, I also draw attention to the donors whose wealth came from the proceeds of the slave trade and businesses which involved enslavement. This research throws light on a previously unexplored aspect of the history of the RMCM and the people who were so crucial to its creation

Methodological approaches and author-reported limitations in evaluation studies of digital health technologies (DHT): A scoping review of DHT interventions for cancer, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases

Digital health technology (DHT) holds the potential to improve health services, and its adoption has proliferated in recent decades owing to technological advancement. Optimal evaluation methodologies appropriate for generating quality evidence on DHT have yet to be established; traditional comparative designs present several limitations. This study aimed to scope the literature to highlight common methodological approaches used and their limitations to inform considerations for designing robust DHT evaluation studies. A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review guidelines. A systematic search was conducted using the CINAHL (EBSCO), MEDLINE (EBSCOhost), PsycINFO (EBSCO), EMBASE (Elsevier) and Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) databases using iteratively developed search terms. We selected studies published in English between January 2016 and March 2022 and focussed on primary research evaluating the effectiveness of DHT with technology-user interactive or asynchronous features for adults (≥18 years) with cancer, diabetes or cardiovascular conditions. The final number of articles, after the screening and selection process, comprised 140 records. Data were analysed descriptively (frequency and percentages) and summarised thematically. Results showed most studies (n = 104, 74.3%) employed the standard two-arm parallel RCT design, with usual/standard care as the preferred comparator in nearly half (n = 65, 47.1%) of all included studies. Of the 104 comparative studies reviewed, limitations in recruitment were most frequently reported (n = 70, 37%), followed by limitations in evaluation/measurement techniques (n = 57, 27%), presence of confounding factors (n = 50, 24%) and short duration of studies (n = 24, 11%). The review highlights the need to consider inclusive approaches to recruitment and adoption of the emerging methodological approaches that account for the fast-paced, multi-component and group contamination problem resulting from the unconcealable nature of DHT interventions

Demystifying sportswashing: An assemblage theory perspective on authoritarian states’ investment in global sport

The article makes an original and significant contribution to international relations in three notable ways. First, we show that international relations scholars should exercise caution in their use of ‘sportswashing’, a term that has swiftly grown in popularity to detail the process through which non-democratic states invest in sport to distract global audiences away from their illegitimate or immoral practices. In heavily critiquing the term, we expose four of sportswashing’s inherent weaknesses and fallacies. Second, we draw on assemblage theory to demonstrate that this process does not revolve around image politics alone (as sportswashing suggests) but is rather the result of a much broader set of mutual motivations and interests that exist between multiple stakeholders. Third, we advance what we term ‘sportsdirtying’, to demonstrate how, in fact, investment in sport inherently leads to a heightening of public awareness and critique of an authoritarian state’s socio-political issues

Geopolitical risks, trade openness, and energy security: Empirical evidence from 41 countries

In today's increasingly complex and volatile geopolitical landscape, energy security (ES) has become a critical concern for nations worldwide, such that ensuring a stable and secure energy supply is now a fundamental prerequisite for the sustainable development of national economies. Using panel data from 41 countries from 1992 to 2021 and employing a two-way fixed effects model, this paper explores the effects of geopolitical risk (GRs) on ES. From the perspective of trade openness, an intermediary effect model examines how GRs affect ES and how their relationship impacts the global economy. An empirical analysis reveals that GRs have a negative effect on ES, and the GRs coefficient of the baseline regression is −0.0825. Moreover, which conclusion is confirmed with robustness tests. Additionally, mechanism analysis indicates that GRs affect ES by limiting countries' openness to trade, and heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that the detrimental influence of GRs on ES is more pronounced in developing countries and non-IEA (International Energy Agency) countries. Further analysis suggests that GRs have a negative effect on economic development. This study provides empirical evidence for understanding the relationship between GRs and regional ES, which can help countries formulate more scientific and rational energy policies under the complex geopolitical environment, improve the level of ES, and contribute to the stabilization and sustainable development of the global energy market

Exploring the theoretical foundations of cognitive behavioural therapy in the criminal justice system

As the most common framework for rehabilitation internationally, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) has been the subject of an enormous amount of evaluation research assessing its effectiveness. Drawing on the philosophical methodology of ‘provocation’ in a series of dialogue-based workshops with CBT experts, this paper assesses whether CBT is a theoretically coherent approach for rehabilitation in criminal justice. With a focus on underlying theory, we outline four key ‘adaptations’ of CBT that we argue represent a systematic shift away from the original ideas of CBT. We conclude that, whilst drift and adaptation can be expected in any large-scale intervention, theoretical drift has occurred without sufficient interrogation of the the consequences. More specifically, in the case of CBT as practiced in justice systems today, the basic premise of how CBT works is called into question, threatening its potential value

Challenging Racialised and Gendered Criminalisation: An Analysis of Processes of Criminalisation, Institutional Failure, and Strategies to Counter Hegemony through Knowledge, Intervention, and Solidarity.

Both the exponential rise of women’s imprisonment and an enduring over-representation of racialised communities in criminal legal outcomes are global issues. This analytical narrative presents ten publications that offer new ways to see the complex and interconnected factors driving distinct racialised and gendered patterns of criminalisation. A focus on ‘gangs’ policing, joint enterprise punishments, and the criminalisation of girls and mothers, reveals how legislation, policy, and practice reproduce criminalising narratives and intervention. Across the analysis, criminalisation emerges as a process that conceals institutional failure. The collaborative research underpinning the publications demonstrates how by centring affected communities we can advance new ways to know. Critical social research has the potential to dis/re-articulate complex institutional and social processes, and thus challenge powerful criminalising assumptions and imaginaries. By engaging in varied approaches to developing ‘cases’, epistemic orthodoxies and silencing can be disrupted. Whilst challenging existing conventions, interventionist research inevitably surfaces new dilemmas. Most significantly, how we engage in both knowledge and politics, without compromising the potential of either. It is not enough to ‘see’ or ‘know’, we must intervene. Countering the hegemony and harms of criminalisation relies on building new strategic alliances. Critical social research can contribute to these sites of resistance, by both disrupting hegemonic discourses and practices, and setting alternative agendas. Yet how such work is resourced and where it is located is less clear. Reflecting on a series of collective interventions, I explore what is required to maintain alliances over time, and in the face of hegemony’s backlash. This body of work has sought to reignite a conceptualisation of criminalisation, on an active assumption that things could be otherwise. I share a commitment, with my many collaborators, to shape compelling visions and alternative responses to harm that can one day replace these failing institutional processes

New development: Redefining failure in English local government—Implications for research and practice

English local government has undergone an unprecedented wave of bankruptcies, requests for ‘exceptional financial support’, and central government ‘intervention’. These developments have made ‘failure’ a watchword in debate and practice. However, ‘failure’ is an ambiguous term with theories of state failure reserved largely to nation states. Reviewing the recent history of local government, this article puts forward a new conceptualization of local state failure based on the dilution of democratic controls through central government appointed commissioners/envoys; immediate financial solvency (through the issuing of Section 114 notices); and longer-term financial health through the awarding of exceptional financial support (EFS) and the capitalization of revenue budgets. This broader approach provides the opportunity to acknowledge the impact of wider relations of networks and tiers of government to provide a more dynamic and nuanced understanding. Building from this, the authors outline an emerging research agenda regarding state failure in a municipal context

Religious Minds in the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis

The study of evolutionary biology at contemporary universities unfolds through the lens of the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis (MES). Historically, this constitutes the official marriage of classical Darwinian evolutionary biology and modern genetics, so that one cannot be studied without the other. In addition, a genetic lens is always applied to evolutionary biology, and genetics is understood evolutionarily. The founders of the MES included three prominent figures who were church-attending believers. This fact is often overlooked and unappreciated, especially by extremists on both sides of the creation vs evolution debate in the West. Herein, I examine the faith commitments and publicly expressed views of Theodosius Dobzhansky, Sewall Wright, and Ronald Aylmer Fisher. I also explore the implications of their understanding for the competing narratives, and why these figures are not more commonly known in the science and religion dialogue