When do CSOs succeed in influencing policy when working under one-party regimes? This article compares two cases in which Environmental CSOs (ECSOs) in China tried to influence policies. This article ...argues that the difference between success and failure is connected to the types of frames that the organizations use and how well these frames can link to meta-cultural master frames. Most studies have concentrated on how activists apply frames to get resonance among the population to mobilize people against the regime. However, under an authoritarian regime that greatly represses public demonstrations, it is often more important to frame arguments in a manner that gets resonance among policymakers than it is to gain resonance among the population. Even though it has been rare to analyze how CSOs frame their arguments vis-à-vis policymakers, some recent studies of Chinese CSOs have done so. However, these studies do not go deep enough in elaborating the cultural and historical contexts of these framing strategies. Our study goes deeper in this direction, by claiming that in order to get resonance the frames must be in line with the cultural norms of society. Consequently, we link culture to the "master frames." Scholars are often reluctant to discuss master frames because the term itself is a bit diffuse and it is not always apparent how to use it. By tying master frames to a meta-cultural analysis, we make it clearer how the concept of master frames can be useful for analyzing the framing strategies of political entrepreneurs.
This paper sheds light on the role of non‐governmental/civil society organisations, as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in the externalisation of migration management in ...Tunisia and Egypt. These organisations are involved in migration‐related activities, which, from the externalisation perspective, should prevent people from attempting the sea‐crossing to Europe, thus immobilising them in North Africa. The paper is an ethnographic border regime analysis drawing on extensive fieldwork. It shows that European Union‐externalisation is not a univocal and smooth process. Instead, externalisation is entangled in a complex network of actors and dynamics. Measures meant to support externalisation may produce effects contrary to those envisaged, whereas practices accomplishing externalisation goals may be in fact the result of internalisation. By analysing the various actors in their diverse practices and in their—sometimes conflictual—relationships, the paper also tries to minimise state‐centrism and Euro‐centrism in the study of externalisation.
COVID-19 created an extraordinary social situation in which governments struggle to mitigate the harmful consequences of the pandemic. Challenging times show a society’s resilience and capacity for ...solidarity and cohesion, the government’s ability to deal with emergencies effectively, the stability and inclusiveness of political systems, and their aptitude to respect democratic values. It is particularly important to examine this period from the point of view of civil society and civil society organizations (CSOs), since civil society plays a pivotal role in the alleviation and dissipation of societal troubles associated with the epidemic, indeed a vital role in curbing the virus. The civil sector’s strength and resilience too is tested. As the studies in this Special Issue show, exploiting the potential of civil society was an option that only some countries have been able to seize - as a result of which they have effectively reduced the consequences of the calamity while increasing a sense of solidarity and belonging in their societies. Others, however, failed to recognize the importance of civil society and interpreted the situation as a “single-actor play on stage”. Neither solidarity nor cohesion play out as values in these latter cases; instead the single actor – government – grabs the opportunity to play the role of the heroic savior and the exclusive problem solver, grabbing for itself both symbolic gains and increasing concentration of power. Citizens are expected to trust no one or no organization except the charismatic leader (or party). Thereby is forged a vertical and hierarchical chain of control, rather than a horizontally linked network of trust and cooperation. The studies and commentaries in this issue cover nine countries located on an imaginary line beginning in the United Kingdom, and extending through Germany, Austria, Hungary, Turkey, Israel, India, China and South Korea, representing various socio-political and economic systems. Embedded in elaborated theoretical understandings, this introductory essay examines the research articles of this Special Issue in which authors unfold the dynamics of CSO-government relations in the context of the world pandemic. These accounts sharpen our understanding of the preexisting shape of government–CSO relations. The introduction places the countries on a scale which classifies them according to the characteristics of civil society–government relations unfolding during the pandemic. One of the endpoints is represented by those countries where the CSO’s creative and constructive responses to the social challenges were prevented or blocked by the government. In this setup, CSOs were ignored at best, and restrictions undercut their abilities to contribute to the process of mitigating the pandemic and its consequences. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of this scale, are countries where the government, both central and local, invited civil society partners in the response to COVID-19, orchestrated high-quality and multilevel cross-sectoral cooperation, and provided partners with the necessary (financial) resources. In those cases, CSOs were empowered effectively to participate in a process designed to address the epidemic and its consequences in accordance with principles of participatory democracy.
•Optimal control model is developed to control the existing combined sewer networks.•Multi-objective optimization techniques are applied to the control model.•Spatial and temporal variation of flow ...and quality in stormwater are considered.•The model can control the gates dynamically with respect to the time.
Sewer network planners use control algorithms, based on optimization techniques, to control urban wastewater systems. These control algorithms have been used to ease the stress on the sewer networks and then, to reduce or to minimize the combined sewer overflows (CSOs). CSOs are not only risking human health but also adversely affecting the aquatic lives. Therefore, many cities try to avoid CSOs. However, this cannot be done to the perfect level due to the capacity limitations of the existing combined sewer networks. In addition, climate variabilities have caused unpredictable precipitation increments and therefore, the control is extremely difficult. Therefore, considering the spatial and temporal variations of runoffs and qualities of stormwater generated from the precipitation, an enhanced optimal control algorithm is illustrated in this paper to control the existing combined sewer networks. Minimizing the pollution load to the receiving water and minimizing the cost of wastewater treatment and pump operation are the two objective functions in the developed optimization algorithm. The algorithm was then successfully applied to a real-world combined sewer network in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Results reveal that the developed optimal control model is capable of handling the dynamic control settings of combined sewer system to minimize the two objective functions simultaneously. With a little computational appreciation, the developed optimal control model can be well-used in the real-time control of combined sewer networks.
Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are a known source of human fecal pollution and human pathogens in urban water bodies, which may present a significant public health threat. To monitor human fecal ...contamination in water, bacterial fecal indicator organisms (FIOs) are traditionally used. However, because FIOs are not specific to human sources and do not correlate with human pathogens, alternative fecal indicators detected using qPCR are becoming of interest to policymakers. For this reason, this study measured correlations between the number and duration of CSOs and mm of rainfall, concentrations of traditional FIOs and alternative indicators, and the presence of human pathogens in two urban creeks. Samples were collected May–July 2016 and analyzed for concentrations of FIOs (total coliforms and E. coli) using membrane filtration as well as for three alternative fecal indicators (human Bacteroides HF183 marker, human polyomavirus (HPoV), pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV)) and nine human pathogens using qPCR. Four of the nine pathogens analyzed were detected at these sites including adenovirus, Enterohemorrhagic E. coli, norovirus, and Salmonella. Among all indicators studied, human Bacteroides and total coliforms were significantly correlated with recent CSO and rainfall events, while E. coli, PMMoV, and HPoV did not show consistent significant correlations. Further, human Bacteroides were a more specific indicator, while total coliforms were a more sensitive indicator of CSO and rainfall events. Results may have implications for the use and interpretation of these indicators in future policy or monitoring programs.
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•Measured relationships between fecal indicators, pathogens, CSOs, and rainfall•Human Bacteroides and total coliforms correlated with CSOs and rainfall•No indicators measured correlated with human pathogens•Temporal relationships highlight the importance of survivability of organisms
The occurrence of pharmaceutical and illicit drug residues potentially arising from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in the Central London portion of the Thames Estuary is presented. Approximately ...39 million tonnes of untreated sewage enter the River Thames at 57 CSO points annually. Differential analysis of influents and effluents in a major wastewater treatment plant identified seven potential drug-related CSO markers based on removal rates. Three were present in influent at concentrations >1 μg L−1 (caffeine, cocaine and benzoylecgonine). During dry weather, analysis of hourly samples of river water revealed relatively consistent concentrations for most drugs, including CSO markers, over a tidal cycle. River water was monitored over a week in January and July and then daily across six consecutive weeks in November/December 2014. Out of 31 compounds monitored, 27 drug residues were determined in the River Thames and, combined, ranged between ~1000–3500 ng L−1. Total drug concentration generally declined during extended periods of drier weather. For CSO markers, short-term increases in caffeine, cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentration were observed ~24 h after CSO events (especially those occurring at low tide) and generally within one order of magnitude. Timings of elevated occurrence also correlated well with ammonium ion and dissolved oxygen data following CSOs. This work also represents an important study of pharmaceutical occurrence before a major ‘Super Sewer’ infrastructure upgrade in London aiming to reduce CSOs by 95%.
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•Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) affected drug concentrations in river water•27 drugs determined hourly, daily and over four dry and wet months in 2014•Cocaine, benzoylecgonine and caffeine were the best CSO drug markers.•Ammonium and dissolved oxygen correlated with elevated drug concentrations•CSOs detected in the river within 24 h and lasted for 24–48 h depending on rainfall
The present study explores civil society organizations' (CSOs) civic and political potential in Turkey. For this purpose, it generates original data from Antalya and utilizes social network analysis ...to analyze the CSOs' cooperation structure. The analysis points out certain levels of dynamism and diversity in terms of the CSOs' cooperative connections. Yet it also shows variance between the public-goods oriented Putnam-type CSOs and the special-interest oriented Olson-type CSOs in terms of their civic and political potential. This observed variance, in turn, is likely to influence their respective potential to articulate common interests on the one hand, to affect politics on the other hand.
The release of micropollutants in surface water depends on different sources and on different pathways. Through substance flow analysis, this study estimates the annual load of two pharmaceuticals ...(carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole) in a catchment area, due to different emission pathways: wastewater treatment plant effluent, combined sewer overflows, and runoff from sludge and manure amended soil. It emerged that wastewater treatment plant effluent is the main emission pathway for carbamazepine (98.5% referring to the total released annual load) and land runoff (98%) for sulfamethoxazole.
The study also investigates the parameters (including manure disposed on the land, removal efficiency and combined sewer overflow flowrate) which mostly influence the results, and those which are affected by higher uncertainty. The most uncertain parameters are those determining the fate of pharmaceuticals once in soil and surface water.
The study concludes with a comparison between the predicted concentrations in different points of the receiving water body of the two key compounds, modeled with substance flow analysis, and those directly measured in a dedicated sampling campaign. The main discrepancies were found for sulfamethoxazole. Future research focusing on monitoring campaigns under different weather conditions and in different environmental compartments (soil and water) will certainly provide new insights in this kind of study.
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•Prediction of pharmaceutical release in river by different emission pathways•Carbamazepine and sulphamethoxazole selected as key compounds.•Carbamazepine mainly released by wastewater treatment plant effluent.•Sulfamethoxazole mainly released by land runoff.•Uncertainties mainly due to the fate of pharmaceuticals in soil and surface water.
This article investigates spontaneous volunteering during the social crisis referred to as the “European 2015 refugee crisis.” The situation was politically controversial and the vacuum in ...humanitarian aid was filled by civil society, including large numbers of spontaneous volunteers (SVs). Based on empirical research, we analyzed the responses and the experiences of SVs working under the auspices of civil society organizations and derived management implications. The findings show that the environment of spontaneous volunteering in social crises differs from that in natural disaster situations. SVs partly substitute official response systems and this results in a high degree of self-organization. Thus, “structured self-organization,” that is finding a suitable complementary relationship between self-organization and coordination, is crucial for the efficiency of SVs’ work, and their satisfaction, well-being, and commitment. Structured self-organization requires (a) fluid structures that enable autonomy, (b) orienting framework conditions, and (c) resources for care and coordination.
The pace of reforms in young democracies frequently depends not only on the political will of state authorities, but also on how strongly domestic civil society organizations (CSOs) make a stand for ...democratic change. This study examines the coalescing practices of Ukrainian CSOs, which come together to propel issues of public importance onto the agendas of the national government or local governments. The paper develops a typology of diverse coalitions and provides examples of the impact of different types of CSO alliances on democratic developments in Ukraine over the last two decades. The article concludes that CSO coalitions in Ukraine might be seen as informal institutions with functional and problem-solving roles due to their ability to restore the balance of power between state and civil society and benefit participatory decision-making.
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