Browsing by Subject "BRICS"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Open Access
    A Framing Analysis of #MeToo YouTube-based News Coverage in BRICS: Media Censorship, State-controlled Channels & the Obstruction of Online Feminist Activism in China, Russia and Brazil
    (2021) Hoareau, Charlotte; Ntunja, Tando
    This comparative study investigates the media representation of YouTube-based news about the #MeToo campaign, feminism, and sexual harassment accounts in three BRICS nations: China, Russia and Brazil. The situation of women in the Global South was at the centre of discussions during the 2018 BRICS summit. While their security remains a persistent issue, officials declared that women should not feel unsafe while participating in economic activity. Although the bloc flagged gender disparities as a significant concern, media outlets perceive Russia, Brazil and China's responses to sexism and gender-based violence as inadequate. Various mechanisms also compromise activism for women's rights. This research focuses on the YouTube representation of conditions which gave rise to the campaign and the process of #MeToo in BRICS. This study considers the level of inclusion of women in economic activity, the procedures established for their safety as well as the extent of media freedom, including tools available for feminist advocacy. In addition to revealing gaps in depiction and proposing solutions for improved media framing, this research is significant because the role and repercussions of this viral campaign must be comprehended better in BRICS economies. Academics focused mainly on the impact of the movement in the West. However, the innovative feminist trend rapidly spread to non-western nations that are dominant emerging economies, showing the gravity of sexual harassment and gender disparities globally. Furthermore, the extent to which #MeToo had influenced localised iterations of anti-assault movements in these emerging countries suggests that the BRICS became sites where sexual abuse and gender inequalities unfold singularly in comparison to other nations. The study presents findings from primary research done on the BRICS, this online social movement #MeToo and related gender dynamics issues. After a presentation of the selected study design, the research provides results from a content analysis of thirty YouTube news reports (October 2017-March 2019).
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    Open Access
    Comorbidities between tuberculosis and common mental disorders: a scoping review of epidemiological patterns and person-centred care interventions from low-to-middle income and BRICS countries
    (2020-01-15) Janse Van Rensburg, André; Dube, Audry; Curran, Robyn; Ambaw, Fentie; Murdoch, Jamie; Bachmann, Max; Petersen, Inge; Fairall, Lara
    Abstract Background There is increasing evidence that the substantial global burden of disease for tuberculosis unfolds in concert with dimensions of common mental disorders. Person-centred care holds much promise to ameliorate these comorbidities in low-to-middle income countries (LMICs) and emerging economies. Towards this end, this paper aims to review 1) the nature and extent of tuberculosis and common mental disorder comorbidity and 2) person-centred tuberculosis care in low-to-middle income countries and emerging economies. Main text A scoping review of 100 articles was conducted of English-language studies published from 2000 to 2019 in peer-reviewed and grey literature, using established guidelines, for each of the study objectives. Four broad tuberculosis/mental disorder comorbidities were described in the literature, namely alcohol use and tuberculosis, depression and tuberculosis, anxiety and tuberculosis, and general mental health and tuberculosis. Rates of comorbidity varied widely across countries for depression, anxiety, alcohol use and general mental health. Alcohol use and tuberculosis were significantly related, especially in the context of poverty. The initial tuberculosis diagnostic episode had substantial socio-psychological effects on service users. While men tended to report higher rates of alcohol use and treatment default, women in general had worse mental health outcomes. Older age and a history of mental illness were also associated with pronounced tuberculosis and mental disorder comorbidity. Person-centred tuberculosis care interventions were almost absent, with only one study from Nepal identified. Conclusions There is an emerging body of evidence describing the nature and extent of tuberculosis and mental disorders comorbidity in low-to-middle income countries. Despite the potential of person-centred interventions, evidence is limited. This review highlights a pronounced need to address psychosocial comorbidities with tuberculosis in LMICs, where models of person-centred tuberculosis care in routine care platforms may yield promising outcomes.
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    Meeting the Challenge of Unemployment?
    (SAGE Publications, 2014) Nattrass, N
    South Africa has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the world. Job creation is a national priority, yet labor-intensive options are derided by the trade union movement as an unacceptable throwback to the “cheap labor” policies of apartheid, and effectively ruled out by the government in its recent National Development Plan (NDP). Instead, minimum-wage setting in South Africa continues to contribute to job destruction (as evidenced most recently in the clothing industry). Policy-makers hope that support for high-productivity firms and rapid economic growth will make up for job losses and solve the unemployment problem. Unfortunately, South Africa’s economic performance has been comparatively disappointing and constrained by negative investor sentiment, especially with regard to the labor market. The NDP has called for a social accord between labor and capital. But the prospects are not promising, and unemployment is likely to remain a significant feature of the South African economic landscape.
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    Regional integration in SADC: the role of BRICS countries
    (2022) Hazar, Cenk; Chitonge, Horman
    The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of bilateral BRICS-SADC trade connections on SADC's regional economic integration. The issues that were explored included among others whether or not the SADC countries' trade relations with BRICS countries contribute to SADC's goal of promoting deeper regional economic integration. The impact of the trade relations with BRICS countries on the development of intra-SADC trade has been analysed, as development of intra-trade is one of the most important factors that can ensure economic integration of SADC region. This research applied the dependency theory in order to articulate what type of trade relationship exists between SADC and BRICS countries. This research was a desktop study that relied on existing secondary data gathered by the United Nations Comtrade. In order to engage with the issues of trade relations, the study explored how exported and imported goods between member countries are dealt with. The research therefore has analysed trading operations between BRICS nations and SADC countries through using data from the United Nations Comtrade database. The United Nations Comtrade database has been used as the principal source in analysing trading operations between BRICS and SADC states. Statistics of commerce within SADC countries as well as outwardly with BRICS are based on taking SADC countries as the reporting countries in the UN Comtrade trade statistics. While BRICS operations are expected to contribute to the growth of African countries, there appears to be substantial concerns about BRICS countries, particularly China, influence expanding in SADC region with several studies claiming that establishing economic contacts – particularly with China, has led to de-industrialisation in SADC. The region appears to be sliding more into large-scale reliance on resource exports thus creating deeper dependence on raw material or primary product exports. This study expounded the core argument that trade relations of SADC countries with those of the BRICS may actually be hindering the development of intra-SADC trade and ultimately SADC economic integration progress. This research found that BRICS countries' trade relations with SADC countries are not compatible with the specified targets for SADC regional economic integration. While Russia and Brazil are BRICS countries with low trade volumes within SADC region, China has the largest portion of bilateral trade with SADC region. This investigation also found that it is highly possible that trade with China and India has a negative impact on the domestic economic development of SADC countries especially their infant industries since it curbs the domestic industries' opportunities to achieve the expected benefits in the integration process. Another outcome of the analysis is that SADC intra-trade rate, which is already limited, remains extremely low if South Africa is excluded from intratrade statistics – pointing out that South Africa dominates trade within SADC region.