Even though International Relations (IR) research increasingly recognises the unprecedented urgency of environmental degradation and the resulting ecological injustices, only few IR scholars have probed into the role of economic growth as a fundamental driver of global unsustainability. We level two critiques at the field of IR from a post-growth perspective. First, most IR theories are complicit in naturalising economic growth as a fundamental condition of global order. Second, IR scholarship has neglected to engage seriously with post-growth thinking. What happens when we start to question the background economic assumptions of the current international system? How might a global politics of post-growth challenge and enrich IR and environmental politics? This Editors Forum brings together a diverse group of scholars from across the globe to reflect on these pertinent questions. As a whole, the Forum begins to address the complicity and neglect critiques. To varying degrees, each contribution considers what IR can learn from post-growth research (both conceptually and empirically), and vice versa. In this introductory article, we set the stage for such an engagement by reviewing an interdisciplinary body of relevant work and synthesising the key contributions from a total of seven Forum articles.

The right to silence and the presumption of innocence are fundamental to fair criminal proceedings. Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) permits courts in India to question the accused, allowing them to explain incriminating evidence. However, judicial interpretations of this provision have raised concerns about undermining these essential rights. This paper critically examines the evolving interpretations of Section 313 of the CrPC and their implications for the right to silence and the presumption of innocence. It argues that current judicial practices have turned the right to remain silent into a duty to provide explanations, contradicting natural justice principles. This study addresses three key questions: (1) How has the interpretation of Section 313 of the CrPC evolved in Indian jurisprudence, and what impact does this have on the accused’s right to remain silent? (2) In what ways does the current application of Section 313 of the CrPC conflict with Article 20(3) of the Constitution, which protects against self-incrimination? (3) What are the potential consequences of misapplying Section 313 on the presumption of innocence, and how can these issues be remedied through judicial or legislative reforms? The paper concludes with recommendations to preserve the integrity of the criminal justice system and ensure robust protection of the right to silence and the presumption of innocence.

Through the analysis of English in the linguistic landscape (LL) of Tokyo, this article demonstrates the diverse functions of English on signage and argues that the use of English in different areas of Tokyo mirrors the distinct socioeconomic characteristics of each area, aiming to highlight how English contributes to shaping the multifaceted Tokyo's cityscape. This study specifically contrasts the three areas: Asakusa and Tsukiji, Shibuya, and Roppongi and Azabu. The data consists of photographed signs, supplemented with fieldnotes, obtained from fieldwork in 2023. Considering all the aspects of the observed signs, the diverse English use on signage can be viewed as a manifestation of its proliferation and localisation as a global language, adapting to a diverse audience, including Japanese locals, visitors from overseas, and local foreign residents. As a result of such manifestation, along with the varied functions and interplay with social contexts, the aggregate of English signs of each area collectively crafts the complexity of Tokyo's mosaic cityscape.

The exclusion of the elderly and people with disabilities from cancer clinical research without appropriate justification is discriminatory and is at odds with the ethos of EU principles, laws and research regulations. It further limits study generalizability. Several primary EU laws fronted by the European Charter prohibit engaging in disparate impact discrimination on the grounds of age and disability in all of EU tasks.

This paper studies optimal defined-contribution (DC) pension management under stochastic interest rates and expected inflation. In addition to financial risk, we consider the risk of pre-retirement death and introduce life insurance to the pension account as an option to manage this risk. We formulate this pension management problem as a random horizon utility maximization problem and derive its explicit solution under the assumption of constant relative risk aversion utility. We calibrate our model to the U.S. data and demonstrate that the pension member’s demand for life insurance has a hump-shaped pattern with age and a U-shaped pattern with the real interest rate and expected inflation. The optimal pension account balance in our model resembles a variable annuity, wherein the death benefits are endogenously determined and depend on various factors including age, mortality, account balance, future contributions, preferences, and market conditions. Our study suggests that offering variable annuities with more flexible death benefits within the DC account could better cater to the bequest demands of its members.

This paper is a case study that reflects on the intricate process of crafting a specialised private training pool, located in Highgate, London. The client is KP, a woman in her 50s who developed Multiple Sclerosis (MS) more than a decade ago. In her everyday life, KP uses a wheelchair and relies on continuous support. She can navigate semi-independently without the wheelchair by using her arms and upper body to push and pull herself through space with sufficient support such as from (door) frames, furniture, handlebars, etc. She has one side that is more dependent with one foot less responsive. When overcoming thresholds, for example, she therefore often requires additional help lifting. Generally, independent movement through space is slow, and her navigation and speed are inherently determined by the availability of surrounding support. This paper explores the multifaceted journey of delivering a training pool that embraces a holistic approach and encompasses the physical, psychological, and aesthetic dimensions of the client’s needs. To reflect on these important issues, it draws on an interview between the client and author, who is also the architect.