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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Central government > Central government policies
In 2000, the European Union set out to shape itself into the world's most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy within a decade. But how great is the capacity of the EU to orchestrate 'competitiveness'? Can common policy instruments produce consistent effects across diverse varieties of capitalism? Has substantial policy learning taken place in response to the successes and failures of the Lisbon agenda? Europe and National Economic Transformation identifies the nature and limits of the transformative capacities of the EU's push for economic gains. The book does so by examining the consequences of the decade-long Lisbon process and its successor, Europe 2020. It explores a broad range of economic outcomes and consequences for an array of policy areas, including innovation financing, employment services, labor migration policy and pension reform.
The New Look sought to formulate a more selective and flexible response to Communist challenges. The New Look was not simply a `bigger bang for a buck' nor merely a device for achieving a balanced budget, nor did it amount solely to a strategy of massive retaliation, as is commonly assumed. Dr Dockrill's incisive revisionist analysis of the subject throws new light on US ambitious global strategy during the Eisenhower years.
This book examines the state of women's rights across Europe, from the three-year research of the Network for European Women's Rights. Based on country reports and practical input from researchers and activists in the field, the book is an up-to-date account of the issue of women's social entitlements and rights across Europe: it provides astute theoretical analyses of existing problems and suggests innovative alternatives. It brings together authors from academia, policy-making and international institutions to ensure comprehensive representation and thorough commentary of the issue.
This book traces the development of American private interests in the Pacific before the 1840s--trading, whaling, sealing, missionary work, etc.--and the gradual evolution of U.S. governmental interests in the region beginning with the 1840s. While governmental policies in the Pacific at first complemented the private interests in the region, public policy had by the late decades of the 19th century begun to develop in directions that had little relation to specific or genuine private interests in the Pacific. The result was that by 1899 a serious gap had been created between the policies and actions of the United States government and private American interests in the Pacific--a gap that would create problems for American policy in the 20th century.
British Party Politics and Ideology after New Labour brings together academics and politicians to debate the intellectual roots of the ideas that currently drive the main UK political parties. With major players responding to the arguments raised in each chapter, the book will be a must-read for anyone interested in or teaching British politics.
This is a comprehensive examination of the strategic affairs of the Persian Gulf since the Gulf War of 1991. The authors conclude that the arms race in the Persian Gulf should be controlled, but maintain it is likely to continue because of the clashing strategic perspectives of Saudi Arabia and Iran, and because of the sustained willingness of all major suppliers to find new revenue sources for their declining defense industries in the post-Cold War decade. They also argue that the U.S. should not adopt a policy of isolating or ignoring Iran in its endeavors to find security arrangements in the Persian Gulf, and that a weakened Iraq has become a major source of instability in the Persian Gulf.
This book reviews the state of knowledge on men and masculinities between ten European countries, emphasising both the differences and the similarities between them. The volume draws upon the outcomes of a recently-completed major research exercise undertaken by network funded by the European Commission-funded Research Network on Men in Europe. It contains contributions by some of Europe's leading scholars in the field. Special emphasis is placed on four key themes: home and work, social exclusion, violences, and health. There is also a particular focus on the fundamental changes taking place in Central and Eastern Europe in the post-socialist period; and to the questions of politics and ethnicity in contemporary Europe. Addressing politics, policy and analysis around men and masculinities in relation to these and other matters is an immensely urgent task not only for European and Trans-European political structures but also for European societies themselves. In the past, masculinity and men's powers and practices were taken for granted. Gender was largely seen as a matter of and for women. This is now changing in the face of rapid but contradictory social change. This book will be essential reading for anyone, whether academic, policymaker, or concerned citizen, who wishes to understand these social processes and their implications for the societies of Europe. Contents: Estonia Voldemar Kolga, Professor of Personality and Developmental Psychology, Head of the Women's Studies Centre, University of Tallinn Finland Jeff Hearn, Professor in the Swedish School of Economics, Helsinki; Emmi Lattu, Doctoral Student at the University of Tampere; Teemu Tallberg, Doctoral Student at the Swedish School of Economics, Helsinki; Hertta Niemi, Research Assistant and Doctoral Student at the Swedish School of Economics, Helsinki Germany Ursula Muller, Full Professor of Sociology and Director of the Interdisciplinary Women's Studies Centre, University of Bielefeld Ireland Harry Ferguson, Professor of Social Work, University of the West of England Latvia Irina Novikova, Director of the Centre for Gender Studies, University of Latvia Poland Elzbieta Oleksy, Full Professor of Humanities and Director of the Women's Studies Centre, University of Lodz and Joanna Rydzewska, Doctoral Candidate, Women's Studies Centre, University of Lodz United Kingdom Keith Pringle, Professor of Social Work, Aalborg University Bulgaria Dimitar Kambourov, Associate Professor in Literary Theory, Sofia University Czech Republic Iva Smidova, Doctoral Researcher, Sociology Department, Masaryk University Sweden Marie Nordberg, Doctoral Student in Ethnology, Goteborgs University
There have been major shifts in the framework of social policy and welfare across Europe. Adopting a multi-level, comparative and interdisciplinary approach, this book develops a critical analysis of policy change and welfare reform in Europe. It specifically asks: To what extent do welfare states undergo profound change? Is the welfare state moving in qualitatively different directions? What generates change? What are the outcomes of change in terms of social cohesion? The book applies a dynamic and change oriented perspective to shed light on policy changes that are often poorly understood in the welfare literature, and contributes to a further development of the theoretical and conceptual frameworks for understanding social change. Using citizenship as a focus, several dimensions of change are analysed simultaneously: changes in the discipline of Social Policy itself; the changing character of social problems; changes in social policy and citizenship; and the emergence of new forms of social integration. The book also speculates on how different dimensions of change are interlinked. The changing face of welfare will be of interest to academics and postgraduate or level 3 students in social policy, sociology and politics.
This book is an analysis of President Bush's Regional Defense Strategy first unveiled in Aspen, Colorado, on August 2, 1990. This strategy involves a mix of active, reserve, and reconstitutable forces, and General Colin Powell's Base Force. If implemented, the new strategy and force structure would return significant U.S. ground and air forces to the continental United States where most would be demobilized. In the event of a major crisis, the United States would rely on active and reserve forces for a contingency response, much as was done for Operation Desert Storm. The new national security strategy is based upon the 25 percent budget cut negotiated with Congress, a greatly depleted Russian threat, and a new international security environment that assumes two-years' warning of a European-centered global war with the former USSR. There are four major critical factors upon which the new strategy depends: (1) the continued decline of the Russians as a threat to world stability; (2) the ability of the intelligence community to meet new challenges; (3) the behavior of the allies and Congress; and (4) the ability of industry to meet new demands. The new strategy is not simply an adjustment to existing defense doctrine or strategy, but rather a fundamental revision of the way the United States has approached defense since 1945. Students and scholars interested in politico-military strategy and government policy will find this book of great interest.
Over the last two decades, the image of the U.S. space program has become seriously tarnished. Its problems have ranged from massive cost overruns to serious program delays to catastrophic mission failures. The space program, once the most prominent symbol of American scientific and technological preeminence, now seems but one more example of government bumbling, extravagance, and waste. In this study, Kay examines the recent problems of the space program and finds that NASA's failures, like its earlier successes, are ultimately traceable to the way the American political system operates. Asking can democracies fly in space?, the author suggests that the traditional workings of democratic politics actually exacerbates those very features of space projects--size, expense, and complexity--that make their development so difficult in the first place.
This is a comprehensive survey of how government policies have affected agricultural performance in Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. The government helped smallholders triple their grain sales in the early 1980s, but left the country vulnerable to drought, leading to emergency food aid imports in 1992. The experience of Zimbabwe offers valuable lessons not only for South Africa, but for all countries struggling to find an appropriate role for government in agriculture during the 1990s.
This volume examines current trends in social security programs around the world. An international group of contributors provide (1) historical perspectives on the development of social security programs (looking at the U.S., Japan, and South Korea); (2) national overviews of programs as adapted to specific populations (in Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Zimbabwe, Yugoslavia, and Malaysia); and (3) specific program analyses (long term care in Britain, health care in Sweden, and industrial accident benefits as developed in Brazil). The discussions highlight the need to evaluate the impact of social security programs on the general population, as well as on specific population groups. This work will be of interest to scholars and policy-makers in social welfare and public policy.
External challenges, strategic threats, and war have shaped the course of modern British history. This volume examines how Britain mobilized to meet these challenges and how developments in the constitution, state, public sphere, and economy were a response to foreign policy issues from the Restoration to the rise of New Labour.
This book examines the implications of counterinsurgency wars for U.S. defense policy and makes the compelling argument that the United States' default position on counterinsurgency wars should be to avoid them. In this compelling study, Eland questions the core assumptions of the American foreign policy and defense establishments that call for military interventions around the world and high and increasing defense budgets at home. He outlines a security policy more appropriate to the sober realities of the post-Cold War era. This is an approach that calls for military restraint overseas, taking advantage of the already secure U.S. geostrategic position, while safeguarding vital national interests. Eland details the military force structure needed for this new role and calculates the reduced defense budget required to pay for these forces. This book is a timely wake-up call to those who make American foreign and defense policies. It demands a badly needed re-thinking of America's national interests. In the author's view, America's natural geostrategic position places it at a natural advantage, rendering unnecessary a forward defense posture. A non-interventionist foreign policy would save money by requiring lower defense budgets. An America less willing to get involved in complex overseas disputes unrelated to U.S vital interests would also be less likely to make enemies around the world.
This work offers a broad interpretation of the extraordinary changes that have taken place in Soviet arms control policy since Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet head of state in March of 1985. GorbacheV's policy is usually portrayed as an effort to ease the Soviet defense burden and to improve relations with the West, but Daniel Calingaert goes further, arguing that the Gorbachev leadership has embarked on a basically new policy of nuclear disarmament. Calingaert outlines how this policy allows the Soviets to divert resources to industrial modernization, restructure the armed forces, and join the global economy, thereby revitalizing their economic strength and exerting a renewed influence on international affairs. Organized thematically rather than chronologically, the book concentrates on interpreting the major decisions affecting nuclear weapons in Europe, strategic arms, and ballistic missile defenses. The first five chapters explore the various components of Soviet arms control policy: the personnel and institutional changes that gave impetus to revisions in Soviet security policy; the strong economic inducements to pursue disarmament; changes in national security aims that provide the rationale for undertaking nuclear disarmament; the impact of revisions in nuclear strategy on force requirements and on Soviet disarmament initiatives; and the pursuit of foreign policy objectives through arms control. A final chapter interprets Soviet conduct of nuclear arms talks in light of this analysis of the nation's security, nuclear strategy, and foreign policy. With its broad overview of GorbacheV's arms control policy, as well as its original analyses, this study will be a useful resource for both students and experts of Soviet policy and security studies.
This book reviews the development of China's social security system from 1949 onwards and analyzes its features in each stage. By emphasizing the role of the social security system in regulating income distribution, it points out some problems in the current social security framework that are becoming apparent as the income gap continues to grow. It proposes various measures such as intensifying the reform of the social insurance fund, expanding old age insurance coverage, promoting health equality, and establishing a new rural medical security system that could be employed to improve the system's equitability, sustainability, and inclusivity.
In an EU increasingly worried about the security of its citizens and its territory, how should the European Parliament make policy decisions in these areas? This study investigates how the empowerment of the European Parliament has led it to abandon its defence of civil liberties in order to become a full partner in inter-institutional negotiations
Cybercrime affects over 1 million people worldwide a day, and cyber attacks on public institutions and businesses are increasing. This book interrogates the European Union's evolving cybersecurity policies and strategy and argues that while progress is being made, much remains to be done to ensure a secure and resilient cyberspace in the future.
Helsing provides a unique perspective on the escalation of the Vietnam War. He examines what many analysts and former policymakers in the Johnson administration have acknowledged as a crucial factor in the way the United States escalated in Vietnam: Johnson's desire for both guns and butter--his belief that he must stem the advance of communism in Southeast Asia while pursuing a Great Society at home. He argues that the United States government, the president, and his key advisers in particular engaged in a major pattern of deception in how the United States committed its military force in Vietnam. He then argues that a significant sector of the government was deceived as well. The first half of the book traces and analyzes the pattern of deception from 1964 through July 1965. The second half shows how the military and political decisions to escalate influenced--and were influenced by--the economic advice and policies being given the President. This in-depth analysis will be of particular concern to scholars, students, and researchers involved with U.S. foreign and military policy, the Vietnam War, and Presidential war powers.
Differentiation was at first not perceived as a threat to the European project, but rather as a tool to promote further integration. Today, more EU policies than ever are marked by concentric circles of integration and a lack of uniform application. As the EU faces increasingly existential challenges, this timely book considers whether the proliferation of mechanisms of flexibility has contributed to this newly fragile state or whether, to the contrary, differentiation has been fundamental to integration despite the heterogeneity of national interests and priorities. Written by emerging and established experts in the field, the chapters examine the present and future of differentiation in EU law. Part I covers general institutional aspects, with contributors examining the nature and characteristics of the various institutional and extra-institutional forms of differentiation. Part II takes a policy-oriented perspective, focussing on areas of EU law and policy in which differentiated integration is prevalent or particularly intriguing. This includes Economic and Monetary Union, the internal market, justice and home affairs, and foreign policy. Differentiated integration is now a defining feature of the EU polity, with the potential to impact almost every facet of EU regulation. This book will be essential reading for students and academics in EU law or anyone interested in the future of EU integration. Contributors include: V. Borger, M. Dawson, M. de Visser, B. De Witte, W. Devroe, A. Durana, N. El-Enany, C. Fasone, E. Ferran, E. Herlin-Karnell, C. Herrmann, S. Kingston, P. Koutrakos, A. Ott, S. Peers, D. Thym, P. Van Cleynenbreugel, S. Van den Bogaert, A.P. van der Mei, E. Vos, M. Weimer
Little work has been done to systematically analyze how high-profile incidents of child neglect and abuse shape child welfare policymaking in the United States. In " Scandalous Politics," Juliet Gainsborough presents quantitative analysis of all fifty states and qualitative case studies of three states (Florida, Colorado, and New Jersey) that reveal how well-publicized child welfare scandals result in adoption of new legislation and new administrative procedures. Gainsborough's quantitative analysis suggests that child welfare policymaking is frequently reactive, while the case studies provide more detail about variations and the legislative process. For example, the case studies illustrate how the nature and extent of the policy response varies according to particular characteristics of the political environment in the state and the administrative structure of the child welfare system. "Scandalous Politics" increases our understanding of the politics of child welfare at both the state and federal level and provides new insights into existing theories of agenda-setting and the policy process. It will be of interest to everyone involved with child welfare policymaking and especially public policy and public administration scholars.
This volume explores the importance of the West Bank for Israel's security. The author assumes that a political solution to the West Bank issue will be negotiated between Israel and the Jordanians and Palestinians, and that the talks thereafter will focus on the question of security. He examines various security topics based on the current political agreement, and considers alternative political solutions and the security risks they would entail for Israel. In particular, he analyzes the possible military risks of attacks against Israel, launched from or through the West Bank region if it is not under Israeli control, and the ways in which these risks could be minimized.
The international system is based on sovereign equality, yet states sometimes choose to cooperate through "plutocratic" governance arrangements, under which members of a multilateral accord delegate policymaking to the wealthiest state among them. In 1995, Russia created an economic integration agreement using plutocratic structures. Prussia and South Africa led similar arrangements in their respective regions during earlier historical periods. Numerous states joined these integration efforts. " Regional Integration" answers the plutocracy question with a novel theory focusing on the political survival of the leadership. In narratives laced with kings, diamonds, revolutions, and hyper-nationalism, Hancock traces the stories of these states and their paths to plutocracy.
Public policy and management problems have been described as poorly defined, messy, squishy, unstructured, intractable, and wicked. In a word, they are complex. This book illustrates the development and use of simulation models designed to capture some of the complexity inherent in the formulation, management, and implementation of policies aimed at addressing such problems. Simulation models have long existed at the fringes of policy inquiry but are not yet considered an essential component of the policy analyst's toolkit. However, this situation is likely to change because with improvements in computational power and software, simulation is now easier to include in the standard repertoire of research tools available for discovery and decision support. This volume provides both a conceptual rationale for using simulations to inform public policy and a practical introduction to how such models might be constructed and employed. The focus of these papers is on the uses of simulation to gain understanding and inform policy decisions and action. Techniques represented in this volume include Monte Carlo simulation, system dynamics and agent based modeling. |
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