Structural Racism and Supporting Black Lives – A Pharmacist’s Vow amid COVID-19

COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting Black communities in the United States due to racial structures that increase exposure (e.g., densely populated areas, substandard housing, overrepresentation in essential work) and promote underlying diseases that exacerbate COVID-19. This manuscript uses Oath of a Pharmacist as a framework to propose a set of best practices for pharmacists to mitigate inequities such as achieve competence in the ideology of structural racism; identify systems of power that jeopardize Black health; value Black voices; name the socio-structural determinants of health; define race as a socio-political construction; name historical and contemporary racism; apply resources equitably based on need; collect robust data to solve complex problems; diminish bias and view patients holistically in the contexts of inequities; and advocate for Black lives. While race is biological fiction, Black individuals are at an increased risk for COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths than their white counterparts due to navigating generations of racist practices that often converge with other inequities—such as sexism, classism. To describe these racial health disparities, structured, racial disadvantage is commonly ignored while personal choices and clinical care are highlighted as the culprits. Achieving health equity requires comprehension, acceptance, and assessment of structural racism, and pharmacists are highly trusted, uniquely positioned healthcare professionals who, through their knowledge, skills, and resources, can help attenuate the effects of structural racism to support Black lives

Pragmatism and effective fragmented governance : comparing trajectories in small arms and military and security services

A hallmark of contemporary global governance is its complex nature. Understanding the implications of the array of “governors” and their efforts is paramount for scholars of global law and global politics. Most analyses have treated fragmented governance as a piece, arguing about its general effects. I concentrate instead on variation within fragmented situations, seeking to understand the conditions under which complexity yields more or less effective governance. I propose an analytical scheme for gauging effectiveness focused on how the array of governance efforts in an issue area relate to one another. I then compare these efforts in two issue arenas: small arms and private military and security services. Despite a similar complexity, similar array of actors trying to exert influence, and similar timing, complexity in small arms generated what most see as less effective results while in military and security services it has generated what seems to be a more promising path toward effective governance mechanisms. This difference is best explained with insights from pragmatism and network theory. When a broader range of relevant governors engage pragmatically to form linked networks governance is more likely. When governors engage ideologically and break off ties governance is less likely. Pragmatic engagement among the variety of relevant governors, including the US, is most likely to generate effective global governance. Una característica distintiva del gobierno mundial contemporáneo es su naturaleza compleja. Entender las implicaciones de la serie de "gobernadores" y sus esfuerzos es fundamental para los estudiosos del derecho internacional y la política mundial. La mayoría de los análisis han tratado el gobierno fragmentado como una pieza, discutiendo sobre sus efectos generales. El análisis se centra en cambio en la variación dentro de situaciones fragmentadas, buscando entender las condiciones en las que la complejidad produce un gobierno más o menos efectivo. Se propone un esquema analítico para medir la eficacia centrada en cómo el conjunto de esfuerzos de gobierno en un área temática se relacionan entre sí. Así, se comparan estos esfuerzos en dos ámbitos: las armas pequeñas y los servicios de seguridad y militares privados. A pesar de una complejidad similar, una gama similar de actores que tratan de ejercer influencia y un calendario similar, la complejidad de armas pequeñas generó ver los resultados como menos eficaces, mientras que en los servicios militares y de seguridad ha supuesto lo que parece ser un camino más prometedor hacia mecanismos eficaces de gobierno. Esta diferencia se explica mejor con los puntos de vista de pragmatismo y la teoría de redes. Cuando una gama más amplia de relevantes gobiernos emplea una forma pragmática para formar redes vinculadas, la gobernabilidad es más probable. Cuando los mandatarios se enfrentan ideológicamente y se rompen los lazos, el gobierno es menos probable. El compromiso pragmático entre la variedad de relevantes gobiernos, incluyendo EE.UU., es más probable que genere un gobierno mundial eficaz

Navigating and Supporting Marginalized Identities in Dominant Pharmacy Spaces

Implicit or unconscious bias is one the significant contributors to inequalities. Implicit bias is a common occurrence in our society that leads to discrimination in many different institutions at various levels. If we do not mitigate our bias, we risk perpetuating inequalities in our organizations.  This self-reflection reviews, in a 3-part manuscript, some of the most important issues and challenges in navigating and supporting marginalized identities in dominant spaces. Part I of the manuscript focuses on the implicit bias manifestations and the importance of self-awareness in promoting inclusivity. One of the ways in which we can create, promote, and sustain interpersonal inclusivity in our organizations is to prepare for microaggressions before they arise. Microaggressions are the common, persistent slights that non-dominant groups in our society face on a daily basis. Another way to promote inclusivity is to explore our identities to promote self-awareness and find common-ground to mitigate microaggressive behavior. This manuscript is written for three reasons. One, to provide guidance on how to navigate our marginalized identities. Two, this manuscript provides guidance on how to navigate our dominant identities. Three, this manuscript fills a gap in the field related to the experiences of those among us with marginalized identities. This autoethnography or self-reflection will help to empower not only myself but others, especially those of us at the margins (e.g., people of color, women, non-Christians, the LGBTQ community).    Article Type: Commentar

The private military industry and neoliberal imperialism: Mapping the terrain

Despite the international reach, and increasing global importance, of the free market provision of military and security services—which we label the Private Security Industry (PSI)—management and organization studies has yet to pay significant attention to this industry. Taking up Grey’s (2009) call for scholarship at the boundaries between security studies and organization studies and building on Banerjee’s (2008) treatment of the PSI as a key element in necrocapitalism, in this article we aim to trace the long history of the PSI and argue that it has re-emerged over the last two decades against, and as a result of, a very specific politico-economic backdrop. We then suggest that the PSI operates as a mechanism for neoliberal imperialism; demonstrate its substitution for and supplementing of the state; and count some of the costs of this privatization of war. Finally, we take seriously Hughes’s (2007) thesis of the growth of a new security-industrial complex, and of the intersecting elites who benefit from this phenomenon

The Role of For-Profit Actors in Implementing Targeted Sanctions:The Case of the European Union

The evolution of sanctions from comprehensive to targeted has favored the inclusion of for-profit actors in the policy process. Sanctions are used to deal with security challenges and while the role of for-profit actors in the provision of public goods has been investigated, less has been said about their role in the provision of security. This chapter investigates the role of for-profit actors in the implementation of sanctions. More specifically, this chapter suggests a typology of regulatory environments that facilitates explaining and understanding the behavior of for-profit actors in implementing targeted sanctions. By looking at the quality of instructions provided by state authorities and their capacity to monitor the implementation of such decisions, the chapter argues that overcompliance, uneven and lack of compliance are more likely in certain regulatory environments rather than in others. The theoretical framework is tested on the case study of the restrictive measures of the EU. The data for this research was collected through semi-opened interviews and focus groups held in Brussels from 2013 to 2015

Military maladaptation : counterinsurgency and the politics of failure

Tactical learning is critical to battlefield success, especially in a counterinsurgency. This article tests the existing model of military adaption against a ‘most-likely’ case: the British Army’s counterinsurgency in the Southern Cameroons (1960–61). Despite meeting all preconditions thought to enable adaptation – decentralization, leadership turnover, supportive leadership, poor organizational memory, feedback loops, and a clear threat – the British still failed to adapt. Archival evidence suggests politicians subverted bottom-up adaptation, because winning came at too high a price in terms of Britain’s broader strategic imperatives. Our finding identifies an important gap in the extant adaptation literature: it ignores politics.PostprintPeer reviewe

Resources, Capabilities, and Routines in Public Organizations

States, state agencies, multilateral agencies, and other non-market actors are relatively under-studied in strategic management and organization science. While important contributions to the study of public actors have been made within the agency-theoretic and transaction-cost traditions, there is little research in political economy that builds on resource-based, dynamic capabilities, and behavioral approaches to the firm. Yet public organizations can be characterized as stocks of human and non-human resources, including routines and capabilities; they can possess excess capacity in these resources; and they may grow and diversify in predictable patterns according to behavioral and Penrosean logic. This paper shows how resource-based, dynamic capabilities, and behavioral approaches to understanding public agencies and organizations shed light on their nature and governance

Global energy governance : a review and research agenda

Over the past few years, global energy governance (GEG) has emerged as a major new field of enquiry in international studies. Scholars engaged in this field seek to understand how the energy sector is governed at the global level, by whom and with what consequences. By focusing on governance, they broaden and enrich the geopolitical and hard-nosed security perspectives that have long been, and still are, the dominant perspectives through which energy is analysed. Though still a nascent field, the literature on GEG is thriving and continues to attract the attention of a growing number of researchers. This article reviews the GEG literature as it has developed over the past 10 years. Our aim is to highlight both the progress and limitations of the field, and to identify some opportunities for future research. The article proceeds as follows. First, it traces the origins of the GEG literature (section “Origins and roots of GEG research”). The subsequent sections deal with the two topics that have received the most attention in the GEG literature: Why does energy need global governance (section “The goals and rationale of global energy governance”)? And, who governs energy (section “Mapping the global energy architecture”)? We then address a third question that has received far less attention: How well or poor is energy governed (section “Evaluating global energy governance”)? In our conclusions (section “Conclusions and outlook”), we reflect on the current state of GEG, review recent trends and innovations, and identify some questions that warrant future consideration by scholars. This article is published as part of a thematic collection on global governance