The Gezi Park movement: a Turkish experience of the twenty-first-century collective movements

Based on the results of a field study conducted during the summer following the wave of mobilizations in Gezi, this article analyzes the development and the social, cultural, and political meanings of this collective movement, which began in Turkey at the end of May 2013 and has been evolving during the summer. The first part of the article addresses the subject of these mobilizations that are opposed to the planning policy, implemented by the government in a process of neo-liberal economic development. The second part discusses the subjective engagement of the protesters and the meaning they give it, by considering alternatives not only to this policy but to the influence exerted on the individual and social life by the technostructures of the systemic forces. The third part analyzes, on the one hand, the methods of direct and online communication for organizing protests and, on the other, the creation of new living constructs, where protesters experiment with the alternatives to the dominations they contest. It is through protest, but also creative and performative actions, that the individuals try to become subjects of their own lives, against these dominations in which the Turkish dimension is part of a global systemic context.     

Queer asylum seekers: translating sexuality in Norway

This paper focuses on the burden of proof that queer asylum seekers encounter in Norway and how they tackle it. It is argued that queer asylum seekers translate their sexuality, sometimes strategically, to become readable in the Norwegian context. The act of translation appears to take the form of a ‘rainbow splash’ over the lives of the informants. The recurrence of similar narratives painted with similar colours contributes to a monolithic portrayal of sexualised and racialised asylum seekers, as they are unable to incorporate their own vocabularies during the act of translation. As a result, queer informants contribute to the (re)production of new norms about what it means to be a genuine queer person in need of protection. Therefore, genuineness remains an unattainable ideal for individuals seeking to negotiate their sexuality before, during and after the asylum seeking process.     

The Flag or the Pocketbook: To What are Immigrants a Threat

An increasing number of immigrants and rising unemployment rates are widely thought to contribute to the electoral success of extreme right parties in Western Europe. However, no study explicitly posits the causal mechanism that links the aggregate level factors of immigration and unemployment to the electoral success of extreme right parties, and systematically analyzes whether and how this mechanism works. Thus, the causal connection between immigration, unemployment and extreme right success remains at best ambiguous. I argue that the causal mechanism linking immigration and unemployment to extreme right electoral performance is the development of anti‐immigrant attitudes at the individual level. In this paper, I examine how unemployment and immigration affect individuals’ attitudes toward immigrants. This examination furthers our understanding of the actual dynamics of how unemployment and immigration influences the electoral success of extreme right parties. I find that greater unemployment rates increase the probability that an individual will have an anti‐immigrant attitude only when immigration is already at a high level. Similarly, increasing immigration alone does not always increase the probability that an individual will have an anti‐immigrant attitude.     

Parallel sequential Monte Carlo for stochastic gradient-free nonconvex optimization

Statistics and Computing - We introduce and analyze a parallel sequential Monte Carlo methodology for the numerical solution of optimization problems that involve the minimization of a cost...     

Estimating network structure via random sampling: Cognitive social structures and the adaptive threshold method

This paper introduces and tests a novel methodology for measuring networks. Rather than collecting data to observe a network or several networks in full, which is typically costly or impossible, we randomly sample a portion of individuals in the network and estimate the network based on the sampled individuals’ perceptions on all possible ties. We find the methodology produces accurate estimates of social structure and network level indices in five different datasets. In order to illustrate the performance of our approach we compare its results with the traditional roster and ego network methods of data collection. Across all five datasets, our methodology outperforms these standard social network data collection methods. We offer ideas on applications of our methodology, and find it especially promising in cross-network settings.     

Comparison of the Iterative Stein-Rule and the Usual Estimators of the Disturbance Variance Under the Pitman Nearness Criterion in a Linear Regression Model with Proxy Variables

In a linear regression model with proxy variables, the iterative Stein-rule estimator and the usual estimator of the disturbance variance is compared under the Pitman Nearness Criterion. The exact expression of Pitman Nearness probability is derived and numerically evaluated.     

Assessing Euro 2020 Strategy Using Multi-criteria Decision Making Methods: VIKOR and TOPSIS

Social Indicators Research - The European Union (EU) 2020 Strategy aims at forming the conditions for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth targets. Assessment of the EU countries’...     

Responding to Irregular Migration: High Potential of Local Governments in Turkey

This study examines local governments' growing presence in irregular migration management, and discusses how autonomous local responses challenge centralist approaches to the management of this migration. By building on the relevant legal framework, secondary literature and interview notes, the study focuses its attention on irregular migration in Turkey, and uncovers the potential of two local government units – district municipalities and muhtarl?ks – in the response to irregular migration. The study discusses the enablers and the main constraints on these local government units in responding to, and therefore involving themselves in, the management of the phenomenon. As discussed in the study, the main impediment appears to be the country's highly centralized state structure, while there also exist several enablers, such as Turkish Townsmen Law (Hem?ehri Hukuku), the trust relationship with their inhabitants, and their experience of liminality in handling irregular matters and providing social aid to vulnerable, fragile and low‐income residents.     

From diversity to conviviality: intra-EU mobility and international migration to Denmark in times of economic recession

ABSTRACT

This article explores differences among EU and non-EU migrants in accommodating to the Danish flexicurity labour and welfare regime during times of economic crisis. We build our findings on a quantitative survey followed by semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted with EU and non-EU migrants who moved to Denmark during the recession period (2008–2013). We argue that the lack of multicultural policies triggers individualised strategies of accommodation rather than ethnic or national group base integration, favouring a more homogenous group of high-skilled and educated group of workers and students of postgraduate/higher education, whom we describe as a ‘flexicurity diversity group’. Through patterns of conviviality, individual socialisation is based here on common interests, needs and lifestyles and not on pre-defined ethnic and/or cultural traits. The transition from diversity to conviviality that is initiated by this group remains however incomplete in light of the unequal opportunities and the differentiated scheme of rights that apply to EU and non-EU immigrants. Danish flexicurity has thus not had the desired inclusive effects but discriminates in terms of facilitating easy access to the labour market for all, and ‘securing’ social benefits and offering rights and protection only to the privileged group of EU migrants.     

Attitudes towards and perception of gambling among secondary school students in a developing country

ABSTRACT

Gambling is common in Nigeria and over the years has gained wide acceptability among the populace. Improved technology and legalization of gambling have led to increased gambling opportunities among young people. The aim of this study is to determine the attitude towards and perception of gambling among a sample of secondary school students in South East Nigeria. A total of 507 male students from three male-only urban Secondary Schools in Owerri, Imo State participated in the study. Multistage sampling technique was used in sample selection. Data was collected using a self-administered socio-demographic questionnaire and the 9 Item Attitude Towards Gambling Scale. Results showed an overall negative perception of gambling. Majority of the respondents (82.8%) perceived gambling as a risky activity while few (27.3%) perceived it as a good way of earning an income quickly. More than half of the respondents (52.7%) believed that gambling yields a high return. There was a significant association between parental gambling and positive attitude towards gambling (X = 6.27, p = 0.04). Thus, preventive strategies targeted towards changing gambling attitudes in parents may serve a dual role of changing attitudes and perception of gambling in their offspring.