The Journal of Political Science and Public Affairs publishes a wide range of issues covering the landscape of the subject matter indicated in the title of the publication. Every effort is made to give a voice to contributors from a diverse of array of nations, identities and, backgrounds. Volume 4 Issue 2 of JPSPA is illustrative of this.

Global Health Networks, by Johan BW, analyzes worldwide wellbeing conditions and difficulties in order to ascertain why some attract more prominent approach consideration and assets than others, in spite of being of similar seriousness. The article sources nine studies that consider the development, viability and authenticity of worldwide wellbeing systems. Johan operates on the basis of premise that worldwide well-being systems do make a difference in shaping the way that their issues and arrangements are comprehended, thus, influencing their record of attaining consideration and asset allocation.

In Analyzing Good Governance and Decentralization in Developing Countries, Nadeem M. presents an analysis of the implementation of the neo-liberal economic paradigm in the developing world. This piece contends that the implementation of this paradigm, on a good governance and decentralization platform, will help to “depoliticize” the discourse surrounding the approach. According to the author, neoliberal economic strategies still have a ways to go in the developing world in the process of their being successfully embedded into the societal ethos.

Mohammad H, in Understanding Capacity of Bangladeshi Urban Local Self-Government Institution in Policy Adoption: Politics of Central Local Relations discusses efforts on the part of local governments to meet their constitutional responsibility to effectively and, democratically, represent their constituencies. It is noted that, since the Bangladeshi return to democracy in 1990, considerable effort and resources have been devoted to the inculcation of good governance at the local, as well as, national level. The case study considered here concerns the factors and issues that impact the policy adoption process at the local level. It is posited that encroachment upon local autonomy by national government adversely affects its success in fulfilling its charge.

Attitudes of Agents Towards the Services of General Insurance Corporation Subsidiary Companies in Madurai, Tamilnadu-A Study, Selvaraj N, discusses the quintessential role that insurance companies play in the economic development of a nation. An effective insurance industry provides the protection against loss, security and capitalization, among other things, which are necessary for the promotion of economic growth. The article examines the role that the insurance agent plays in performance for the industry. Factor analysis has been employed to examine and analyze salient variables for the study.

Onur AY asks, Why did Turkey Become a Part of the Sa’dabad Pact? According to this study, Turkey has pursued a geostrategic approach to statecraft based upon the principle of realpolitik. For the author, this is evidenced by the foreign policy theme of “peace at home, peace in the world”. Onur discusses the role that the pursuit of multilateral solutions and international organization membership has played in the Turkish diplomatic mission.

Instability in Afghanistan: Implications for Pakistan, by Mohammad I, considers the impact of stability, in the former, on foreign policy behavior, for the latter. The thesis herein is that equilibrium in Afghanistan has a direct effect upon conditions in Pakistan. This study examines the impacts of equilibrium and, disequilibrium in Afghanistan on Pakistani policymaking. Central to the discussion here are the effects of the War on Terror being waged in Afghani territory.

Nwokocha Chibueze details policy recommendations in, Historical Analysis of the Economic Effect of Drought on Tropical Forest Management in Northern Nigeria. A historical analysis of the effect of drought on tropical forest management in Northern Nigeria is detailed, along with its causes and effects. The article provides recommendations to governments of the region aimed at ameliorating the plight of rural farmers to combat drought and remediating the deleterious effects of its impacts on the rural environment.

In ECOWAS and Women Representation in West Africa, FO Babatunde notes an “alarming” trend toward political marginalization of women in the region, in the face of reports to the contrary. The article notes, a reported, exponential rise in the representation of women in the corridors of power in West Africa that is not reflected in their actual opportunities for political advancement. The Economic Cooperation Organization of West African States (ECOWAS) is proposed as a vehicle for taking the lead in advancing the political status of women in the region, principally, through expanding their numbers parliamentary assembly.

PATH (People Assessing Their Health) Process and Deliberative Opinion Poll for Public Scoping in Health Impact Assessment is authored by S. Kotamas. This literature review covers the landscape of public scoping in health assessment. A deliberative opinion poll is conducted to assess the impact of PATH on community well-being and to improve the public scoping process concerning health management.

In, Is Anyone Listening? The Politicization of the Judiciary and the Loss of Authority: An Initial Assessment, Peter Y and Gregory H, examine a matter of particular relevance in contemporary times. The article notes the increasing politicization of the Supreme Court of the United States. It asks whether or not that politicization has resulted in a diminution of the authority of the opinions of the justices on deliberations and outcomes at the lower court levels. The landmark decision of the Supreme Court in Fisher v. University of Texas (570 U.S., 2013) is presented as a case study for this examination. The principal finding of the study is that, increasingly, the Judicial Branch of the United States government is being viewed as a third “political branch”, putting it far afield of the original intent of the framers, much to the detriment of public trust in legal authority.

Capitalism and the Capitalist State, by Alexander G, is rumination on the definition of the two terms. It serves as a reply to communist critics of capitalism who call for a fundamental change in macroeconomic approaches. The article cautions against wholesale change and, urges a careful deliberation on the meaning of capitalism and its impacts. In, The Civilization of Fear, Alexander G presents another deliberative discussion, this time on the matter of fear and, what human beings construct to overcome it. Civilization is often created as an antidote to fear, according to this discussion. The remedy suggested here appears to be to release oneself from the shackles of fear prior to efforts to erect constructs to mitigate it.

The Editors of the Journal of Political Science and Public Affairs greatly appreciates the notable contributors of these members of the global scholarly community. We, enthusiastically, invite others to participate in these conversations in an effort to expand the boundaries of thought and understanding in the world in which we live.