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Research Article
Reframing Civil-Military Relations in Africa: Empirical Insights from Malawi’s Rhombus Diamond Model
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
579-584
Received:
3 November 2025
Accepted:
12 November 2025
Published:
9 December 2025
Abstract: This article introduces the Rhombus Diamond Framework, a contextually grounded model for managing civil-military relations in democratic Malawi. Developed through a mixed-methods study comprising 386 structured survey responses and 65 key informant interviews, the framework synthesizes insights from elected officials, civil authorities, the judiciary, the military, and civilians. It positions the military as a fulcrum balancing democratic governance and national security, addressing the civil-military problematique through eight interlocking mechanisms—meritocracy, joint training, representational recruitment, and civic engagement among them. Quantitative regression analysis and qualitative content coding validate the framework’s predictive strength and institutional relevance. The model builds on classical theories of civilian control and concordance, while integrating indigenous values and participatory governance. It offers actionable guidance for policy formulation, curriculum development, and institutional reform, and presents a replicable approach for democratic consolidation in transitional states. The framework contributes to reimagining civil-military relations as a dynamic equilibrium rooted in legitimacy and professionalism.
Abstract: This article introduces the Rhombus Diamond Framework, a contextually grounded model for managing civil-military relations in democratic Malawi. Developed through a mixed-methods study comprising 386 structured survey responses and 65 key informant interviews, the framework synthesizes insights from elected officials, civil authorities, the judicia...
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Research Article
A Self-dual Pseudo-divisor Quota Method for Congressional Apportionment
Hal M. Switkay*
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
585-590
Received:
16 November 2025
Accepted:
28 November 2025
Published:
11 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ss.20251406.12
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: The topic of apportionment is a central focus of study for legislatures around the world, whether the goal is to allocate seats to political parties, or to allocate seats to the member states of a federation. The first goal is sought by parliaments employing proportional representation for parties; the second goal is sought by the United States House of Representatives and the European Parliament. Many of the leading apportionment methods were created in the late 18th century in response to requirements listed in the United States Constitution. No apportionment method perfectly satisfies all desirable properties, particularly the properties of integrality, proportionality, and quota. The Largest Remainder method satisfies quota but suffers from other paradoxes; the divisor methods like the Greatest Divisors, Major Fractions (Arithmetic Mean), Equal Proportions (Geometric Mean), Harmonic Mean, and Smallest Divisor methods satisfy proportionality but may fail quota. Some apportionment methods like Greatest Divisor unfairly favor larger parties and states, and others like Smallest Divisor unfairly favor smaller parties and states. We introduce a new method for Congressional apportionment that creates the apportionment all at once, rather than determining seats one at a time. This method always satisfies quota. It partially resembles the familiar Huntington monotone divisor methods and indeed creates a quota-capped divisor method, but can be compared as well to largest remainder methods.
Abstract: The topic of apportionment is a central focus of study for legislatures around the world, whether the goal is to allocate seats to political parties, or to allocate seats to the member states of a federation. The first goal is sought by parliaments employing proportional representation for parties; the second goal is sought by the United States Hou...
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Research Article
The Relationship Between Parenting Styles and Needs for Parenting Guidance Moderated by Parents' and Children's Characteristics
Wanying Liang,
Jia Tian*
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
591-600
Received:
16 September 2025
Accepted:
8 November 2025
Published:
11 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ss.20251406.13
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: In 2021, China released the “Double Reduction” policy and the “Promoting Home Education Law”, both emphasizing providing parenting guidance through family-school cooperation. However, parents’ needs for guidance and what factors influence their needs are unclear, posing barriers to the implementation of the national initiatives by schools and teachers. To explore parents’ needs for parenting guidance and the influencing factors on them, this study investigated 28 parents of low-grade pupils in Hailar, China, about their needs using semi-structured interviews, and surveyed 18 of them about their parenting styles and their children’s temperament using the Parenting Style Scale and the Children’s Temperament Scale. Qualitative analysis showed that parents demonstrated three needs for parenting guidance: schools and teachers optimizing feedback on tests, head teachers providing guidance while schools managing provision, and parents receiving help with improving parent-child communication skills. Quantitative analysis found associations between parents’ needs for parenting guidance and the parenting styles of rejection and overprotection. Parents’ gender, the number of their children’s siblings, and their children’s mood temperature were found to moderate the relationships between parenting styles and parents’ needs for parenting guidance. These findings provide important implications for further research in parenting guidance and family-school cooperation, as well as for practical work in schools, especially for school teachers to provide instruction for parents to educate their children according to the students’ and parents’ characteristics.
Abstract: In 2021, China released the “Double Reduction” policy and the “Promoting Home Education Law”, both emphasizing providing parenting guidance through family-school cooperation. However, parents’ needs for guidance and what factors influence their needs are unclear, posing barriers to the implementation of the national initiatives by schools and teach...
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