Formalization and its Discontents: Conceptual Fallacies and Ways Forward

The concept of formalization has long underpinned policy interventions and measures intended to connect informal entities with state institutions or formal economic structures. However, despite the policy enthusiasm, the outcomes of formalization policies have frequently been disappointing. This article argues that this disconnect lies in the concept of formalization itself and that common approaches to formalization are often rooted in three conceptual fallacies: a binary distinction between formal and informal economic actors, a lack of appreciation for the diversity of informal economic actors and the idea that ‘becoming’ formal necessarily spurs positive externalities. These conceptual confusions pay insufficient attention to contextual complexity and the political and social dynamics that shape informality in a given context and they are frequently rooted in the practicalities and power structures that shape knowledge creation in this area. This article demonstrates this through case studies of tax registration and property titling. Thus, it argues for a new research agenda on formalization that challenges both its conventional conceptual foundations and the practices of research that engage with it.     

The origins of the cult of St James of Compostela

James the Great, son of Zebedee and brother of St John, was one of the three Apostles privileged to accompany Jesus on special occasions like the Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was beheaded in 42 AD by order of Herod. His connection with Spain is here the subject of critical enquiry, and it is demonstrated that there is virtually no evidence at all to substantiate the belief that his mortal remains lie in Spain, at Santiago de Compostela, which became one of the most important pilgrimage centres of the medieval West; nor indeed that he ever preached in Spain or visited that country. It is only in the ninth century that sources begin to mention the discovery of James' burial-place in Spain, while from the seventh century his preaching in Spain is mentioned. From about 800 the legend of St James in Spain took root in Latin Christian tradition.     

Thinking Arab women's spatiality: the case of ‘mutanazahat’ in Nablus,Palestine

This article aims to develop our understanding of Arab women's spatiality. It highlights the effect of the embedded culture and the physical environment on shaping women's urban experiences. Drawing on feminist geographic and planning theory, this article develops an analytical framework to think women's spatial options and behaviours. The remainder of the article presents empirical research on two outdoor public spaces in the city of Nablus, Palestine, and analyses the use of these spaces by Nablusi women. It is concluded that three factors – space audience, spatial opportunities and space organisation – affect their perception of space, which in turn shapes and constructs their spatial options and behaviours.     

Unconventional Gas Development: Why a Regional Community Said No

Public concern resulting from unconventional coal seam gas (CSG) exploration and production has become a contentious planning issue in regional Australia, with public concern drawing attention to government planning obligations. To assist Lismore City Council (Northern New South Wales) in its deliberations on the topic, a referendum‐style poll on the issue of CSG industry development was held in conjunction with the local government elections of September 2012. The poll question, ‘Do you support CSG exploration and production in the Lismore City Council area?’, elicited a poll response rate of 97% of eligible voters, of which 87% voted ‘no’. This paper reports the results of an exit poll survey using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to frame motivations behind the poll result, and examines the role of the poll and exit poll survey in providing a process of deliberative democracy in the context of the CSG debate. Key details highlighted by the results were that non‐supporters of CSG exploration were primarily concerned about water quality, while supporters saw the primary benefit being regional employment. Emerging themes of this study are the need for more independent research on potential risks and benefits of CSG developments, increase in institutional transparency, and the development of renewable alternatives. The study concludes that the principles of deliberative democracy involved in the Lismore City Council poll and subsequent exit poll survey have provided an opportunity for a more open discussion and genuine discourse within the CSG debate.     

The European Impact on State–Religion Relations in Turkey: Political Islam,Alevis and Non-Muslim Minorities

Since Turkey's application for membership of the European Union (EU) in 1987, the EU has itself been a structural component of Turkey's political transformation. The European impact intensified after Turkey was granted the status of an official candidate at the EU's Helsinki Summit in 1999. Since then, Turkey has issued a series of reform packages with the aim of starting accession negotiations, which began in October 2005. These reforms have initiated a democratic regime that is structurally different from its predecessors in terms of its definition of political community, national identity and the territorial structure of the state. Among many other aspects of the current political transformation such as the resolution of the Kurdish problem and administrative reform, this article concentrates on how the European impact, which I label Europeanisation, has influenced state–religion relations in Turkey. Europeanisation has three major mechanisms that influence actors, institutions, ideas and interests in varying ways: institutional compliance, changing opportunity structures, and the framing of domestic beliefs and expectations. The article concentrates on how these mechanisms operate in the creation of a new regulatory framework of religion in Turkey.