Homelessness is now an enduring feature of cities across the globe, yet planning scholarship has been reluctant to say plainly what it owes the unhoused. In this essay, I argue that planning scholarship's engagement with homelessness reflects two connected failures. First, its analytical frameworks remain too parochial to address the global structure of informaility that creates housing precarity. Second, its normative foundations remain too thin to evaluate responses against what unhoused people need to flourish. Drawing on worlding and frameworks from the Global South, I develop a scholarly planning approach that engages urban informality and precarity as analytical categories, centers racial dispossession, and grounds its prescriptions in a capabilities framework. I propose a framework for planning scholarship that reconceptualizes homelessness through the capabilities approach, justice, and human flourishing.
Recent studies of alternative organising have returned to utopianism as a way to imagine desirable organisational futures, making a difference in the real world through utopianism. This paper contributes to these discussions by considering the nature of desire that is evoked when imagining utopian futures, and the relationship between fantasy and reality in such desiring. Bringing Frederic Jameson’s writing on utopia into dialogue with ideas of desirable futures and real utopias, we offer an account of desire combining the specific representational and literary forms and conventions of utopian writing with psychoanalytic conceptions of desire and alterity, to argue that utopia should not simply be understood in terms of planning alternative organisations which might become a concrete, future reality. Rather, analysing the way in which fantasy and desire function in the utopian form, we argue that utopian representations are not ‘realistic’ in the sense of an actionable plan, but that this does not render the desire of utopia politically ineffective. By operating directly on desiring in the present, utopian fantasies can ‘educate’ desire, and enable political action, without constituting an image-object whose attainment or realisation would satisfy that desire. Such a motive-force is needed to effect real organisational transformation but need not realistically represent the future organisational state it would move towards.
This paper examines Bermuda's effort to abolish elected municipal representation, an extreme manifestation of longstanding debates over the value and role of urban local government. The case provides a window onto widely relevant questions about the value of cities as loci for governance, trade-offs between different definitions of efficiency, and the merits of local autonomy. Drawing on interviews with individuals familiar with the proposed changes, the research finds that most interviewees and members of the public do not support abolishing local elections. Four key differences of opinion regarding the proposed changes were identified: competing interpretations of how “efficiency” relates to municipal governance, divergent perspectives on the value of local autonomy, different beliefs regarding how best to respond to inequalities, and disagreements concerning whether incremental adjustments to institutions are preferable to sweeping change. The paper concludes by drawing lessons for Bermuda and other places engaged in debates over urban governance.
The present study investigates the effectiveness of generative large language models (LLMs) as raters across three common rating tasks: (a) social desirability ratings, (b) content validity ratings, and (c) trait importance ratings. Specifically, we examine reliability and validity of LLM-generated ratings across varying occupational contexts, rating methods, LLM families (i.e., GPT-4, GPT-5, and Sonnet 4.5), and inference configurations (i.e., prompt design and temperature settings). Results indicate that LLM ratings exhibit strong reliability and convergent validity in social desirability ratings across occupational contexts, as well as acceptable convergence with human ratings in Likert-type content validity evaluations. In contrast, reliability and convergent validity for trait importance ratings were inconsistent across occupational contexts. Variations in prompt design and temperature settings generally produced small to negligible effects on reliability and validity. Overall, the findings suggest that LLMs can function as effective supplementary raters in test development and validation processes, although greater caution is warranted for certain rating tasks. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Problem Organisations in Malta face growing pressure to implement diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) aligned with global and European standards. However, translating these norms into meaningful, context-sensitive practices within a small island state presents challenges. Tensions arise between formal compliance requirements and genuine inclusion when addressing intersectional inequalities related to gender, disability, nationality, and LGBTIQ + identities. Solution Using a qualitative approach based on interviews with HRD practitioners and black-letter analysis, this study shows how HRD actors include DEI into organisational development. Beyond formal policies on recruitment and pay equity, practitioners advance inclusive leadership development, mentoring, employee networks, and culture-building initiatives. Guided by institutional and paradox perspectives, these strategies balance regulatory compliance with transformative inclusion. Stakeholders Key stakeholders include HRD practitioners, organisational leaders, employees from diverse backgrounds, and policymakers shaping national and European equality frameworks.
Scholars, officeholders, advocacy organizations, and the media have expressed concern that the growing violence against officeholders harms democracy by increasing politicians’ self-censorship in office. Self-censoring includes avoiding contact with constituents, avoiding addressing controversial issues, and depressed political ambition. This may be particularly true for women as they are more likely than men to experience violence and more of specific types of violence. Using a survey of all U.S. mayors in cities of 10,000+, we demonstrate that violent experiences do indeed result in meaningful self-censorship. We also find that self-censorship is more prevalent for women largely because women face more and more personalized violence such as sexualized violence. Thus, this research contributes to the literature by examining the relationship between violence—including levels and types—and self-censoring behaviors by officeholders. It adds a new layer of understanding of the consequences of violence aimed at those who hold public elective office.
Purpose This study introduces Contextual Pedagogical Leadership (CPL) as a construct that reflects culturally grounded leadership practices among Malaysian pre-service teachers. It aims to develop and validate a set of CPL indicators aligned with Malaysia's cultural, educational and policy contexts to guide leadership development within Malaysian teacher education programmes. Research Methods A Modified Delphi design was employed across three phases. Phase 1 involved qualitative interviews with six Malaysian education experts to generate initial CPL themes and indicators grounded in teaching practice. Phase 2 utilised an open-ended expert review process to refine the indicators through addition, removal and revision. Phase 3 applied the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM), involving 27 local experts comprising teacher educators, school leaders and ministry officials. Consensus was established using defuzzification and threshold analysis (d ≤ 0.2), with a minimum agreement level of 75%. Findings The study yielded 72 validated indicators across three core themes of Contextual Pedagogical Leadership: (1) planning teaching and learning in alignment with school direction, (2) enacting leadership through adaptive, reflective and student-centred instructional practices and (3) fostering a supportive, inclusive and ethically engaged learning environment. These findings affirm the need to move beyond universalist leadership models by developing frameworks rooted in national education priorities and cultural realities. Implications This study contributes to decolonial educational leadership discourse by offering a rigorously developed, context-specific model for pre-service teacher leadership in Malaysia. The CPL indicators hold practical significance for teacher educators, policymakers and curriculum developers across the Global South who seek to foster pedagogical leadership that is locally meaningful, socially responsive and epistemologically just.
Intermunicipal cooperation (IMC) has emerged globally as a way of addressing the many challenges faced by local governments. Although it offers potential benefits in terms of capacity, efficiency, and cost reduction, IMC raises fundamental questions about democratic legitimacy. This paper systematically examines the democratic implications of IMC using an analytical framework centered on three dimensions of legitimacy: input (representation and participation), throughput (accountability and transparency), and output (distributive equity and perceived fairness). A comprehensive review of the academic literature reveals the democratic consequences of IMC across these three dimensions. Our findings suggest that IMC often marginalizes local councils while empowering executives and creating complex accountability structures where responsibility becomes untraceable across multiple principals. Moreover, the review identifies significant research gaps regarding the representation of political opposition in IMC arrangements and the long-term effects on local democracy and distributive equity. We conclude by proposing a research agenda to guide future studies and support the development of democratically robust cooperation frameworks.
Issue publics—groups of citizens who care intensely about particular policy issues—are rarely studied in municipal politics. This research note provides the first systematic analysis of municipal issue publics using a nationally representative 2025 survey of more than 6,000 Canadians, including 1,300 open-ended responses. We identify 32 distinct municipal issue publics across areas such as housing, policing, public transit, climate policy, taxation, and snow removal. Forty-five percent of respondents named a specific municipal issue they care deeply about. We show that issue public members are distinctive in their demographic characteristics and policy attitudes. Residents sort into issue publics along observable lines such as age, homeownership, and ideology, and issue public members often hold policy preferences that diverge from those of the broader public. These patterns have important implications for local advocacy, political mobilization, and municipal democratic representation.
This article explores Fei Xiaotong’s (1992) concept of chaxu geju (差序格局), the differential mode of association, as a distinctive epistemological foundation for educational administration and leadership in the Global South. Rather than positioning chaxu geju as a simple alternative to a homogenized “Western” paradigm, the article places it in critical dialogue with diverse leadership typologies. It argues that chaxu geju contributes a distinctive account of leadership as differentiated moral and relational judgment, in which trust, obligation, and influence are patterned through concentric degrees of social proximity. The article draws on a qualitative study involving ten school head teachers and three directors of educational non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with rural-to-urban migrant children in Guiyang, southwest China. The study shows that these leaders navigate fragile and under-resourced educational settings not primarily through formal hierarchy or standardized procedure, but through trust-based networks, moral credibility, and relational judgement. Leadership emerges as an ongoing practice of care, mediation, and differentiated responsibility across uneven social circles. By centering a Chinese indigenous concept as an analytic resource, this article contributes to the decolonization of educational leadership theory and practice. It suggests that chaxu geju enriches the theoretical repertoire of educational administration by illuminating forms of relational governance that remain under-theorized in dominant frameworks and by showing how leadership legitimacy is produced through morally embedded and socially differentiated relationships.
IntroductionActive involvement of nurse leaders in policy advancement is considered crucial, particularly in Africa, where nurses constitute most of the health workforce. This review was conducted to determine factors that influence African nurse leaders' participation in policy development.MethodThe databases CINAHL and MEDLINE were searched to answer the review question. The search parameters were adjusted to include studies in English and between 2012 and 2025. The review partially followed the JBI methodology for evidence synthesis. Two reviewers conducted data extraction and independently assessed all included studies. The PRISMA guideline guided study selection reporting. Results were thematically analysed.ResultsSeven studies were identified. The review reveals a spectrum of challenges and opportunities impacting nurse leaders' involvement in policy development. The main theme that emerged from the included studies was enablers and constraints in health policy development, with four subthemes. Namely: enablers of nurse leaders' engagement, perceived value, knowledge and gendered influences, limited and peripheral participation, structural, organisational and individual barriers.ConclusionPersonal, structural and institutional factors were enablers and bottlenecks that limit involvement of African nurse leaders in health policy. Implementing strategies such as leadership support, education, professional recognition, organisational empowerment, and governmental support could elevate the role of nurse leaders in policy development, contributing to a more robust and inclusive healthcare policymaking landscape in Africa. Additional case studies and longitudinal research are needed to examine the factors influencing nurse leaders' involvement in policy development across different African contexts.
Purpose This study examines how vocational school principals perceive their managerial challenges. This investigation is significant given the paucity of research on this topic and the unique characteristics of vocational schools compared with academic schools. Methods The study draws on semi-structured interviews conducted with 26 vocational school principals in Israel. Data were analyzed using the thematic analysis approach. Findings The findings highlight four distinct managerial challenges: managing the school as a stigmatized organization, providing justifications for vocational education when communicating with stakeholders, making substantial marketing efforts to boost enrollment and avert closure, and prioritizing non-formal educational practices over formal academic ones to address the core needs of vocational students. Implications Our findings shed light on the role of vocational school principals and the broader linkages between vocational schools, social exclusion, and inequality. Developing a clear policy is critical for educational settings marked by social exclusion and for educational institutions facing stigma.
Research on intergenerational programs (IGPs) has documented cognitive, physical and social outcomes for older adults, and beneficial effects for children such as enhanced empathy and more positive attitudes toward older adults. However, there is a relative scarcity of research documenting the benefits of co-located intergenerational programs, whereby the aged-care facility and early learning program are housed under the same roof, thus offering opportunities for frequent intergenerational connections across structured and unstructured activities. Moreover, research providing a consolidated account of the benefits of participation from the perspectives of multiple participant groups, especially young children, is limited. As such, this qualitative case study explores the perspectives of multiple participants engaged in a co-located aged-care facility and early learning centre in Melbourne, Australia: 19 young children and their families, seven early learning and aged-care staff, and seven older adults. The methodology involved semi-structured interviews conducted with staff, online surveys completed by families, and draw, write, and tell method to elicit children’s perspectives. The analysis was framed by social capital theory which pays attention to the relationships within and between groups (bonding and bridging), and the associated benefits for individual and group capabilities. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed two overarching themes – “Program design and implementation” and “Impact for participants” – comprising five categories which highlight the importance of relational factors to nurture mutually beneficial bridging and bonding relationships, and structural program elements such as collaborative planning to support optimal outcomes for all participants.
Decades of research on instructional leadership demonstrate that school leaders play a vital role in promoting student learning. Meanwhile, widening inequalities among students from diverse backgrounds highlight the need for social justice leaders to foster equity in educational processes. This study explores the potential integration of two leadership models, instructional leadership and social justice leadership, highlighting the role of school leaders in improving the learning experiences and outcomes for all and bridging learning gaps among students from diverse backgrounds. The study employs a multiple case study design, gathering extensive qualitative data from three primary schools in Hong Kong SAR, China. In addition to semi-structured interviews with various school leaders and teachers, two focus group interviews were conducted at each school, and school documents were collected as supplementary data. The analysis revealed five interconnected themes: (1) strategizing for equitable school improvement; (2) capacity building for equitable teaching and learning; (3) cultivating an inclusive and empowering school culture; (4) leading equitable resource distribution; and (5) fostering family and community partnerships. These findings contribute to recent conceptualization efforts in Socially Just Instructional Leadership and enrich the field with valuable insights from a non-Western context.
The longstanding U.S. approach for treating chronically homeless people with mental illness and/or substance use disorders has been Housing First (HF): providing permanent supportive housing with wrap-around services, with no requirements on participants to engage in behavioral health support. The Trump Administration has recently reversed course, adopting an alternative strategy: Treatment First (TF). This research note addresses the question of which approach is more effective for treating mental illness and substance use disorders. My review of results from randomized controlled trials conducted in the United States demonstrates that neither HF nor TF approaches represent panaceas in helping the chronically homeless improve their mental health or free themselves from addiction. Results imply that we should adopt a more heterodox strategy that can better tailor treatments to individual circumstances—and build the requisite human, housing, and institutional resources in the public health domain to support such—if we are to fight the symbiotic challenges of chronic homelessness, mental illness, and substance use disorders successfully.
This paper investigates the effect of rental housing affordability on homelessness across commuting zones within the United States. The authors’ estimates suggest the elasticity of the homelessness rate to median rents is positive and ranges between 0.55 and 4.5. To address concerns about endogeneity in the relationship between homelessness and rental housing affordability, the authors instrument for various measures of housing affordability using the Wharton Residential Land-Use Regulatory Index. The magnitude of the instrumental variables estimates are significantly increased relative to the ordinary least squares estimates, supporting the conclusion that declining housing affordability is a major driver of homelessness.
In this article, I focus on Los Angeles' fractured political decision-making in the late 1980s and early 1990s to demonstrate how the city government functioned within constrained and fragmented conditions. Methodologically, I use interviews with public officials and archival data to demonstrate how the city government functioned and responded to a moment of crisis. I specifically focus on how police and developers grew and strengthened their political interests and economic power. The growth of the carceral state and the power of developers within the urban sphere have and will continue to have important and detrimental consequences for the American political landscape. Both police and developers are critical to reproducing urban inequality through formal and informal city policymaking, and are important to understanding how people within certain neighborhoods comprehend themselves as part of a polity and how they feel about governing institutions.
