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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Comparative politics

Solidarity in Europe - Citizens' Responses in Times of Crisis (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018): Christian Lahusen, Maria T. Grasso Solidarity in Europe - Citizens' Responses in Times of Crisis (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018)
Christian Lahusen, Maria T. Grasso
R764 Discovery Miles 7 640 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This open access volume provides evidence-based knowledge on European solidarity and citizen responses in times of crisis. Does the crisis of European integration translate into a crisis of European solidarity, and if yes, what are the manifestations at the level of individual citizens? How strongly is solidarity rooted at the individual level, both in terms of attitudes and practices? And which driving factors and mechanisms contribute to the reproduction and/or corrosion of solidarity in times of crisis? Using findings from the EU Horizon 2020 funded research project "European paths to transnational solidarity at times of crisis: Conditions, forms, role-models and policy responses" (TransSOL), the books addresses these questions and provides cross-national comparisons of eight European countries - Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and the UK. It will appeal to students, scholars and policymakers interested in the Eurocrisis, politics and sociology.

The Governance of Active Welfare States in Europe (Hardcover): Willibrord De Graaf, Rik Van Berkel, T Sirovatka The Governance of Active Welfare States in Europe (Hardcover)
Willibrord De Graaf, Rik Van Berkel, T Sirovatka
R1,417 Discovery Miles 14 170 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

During the last decade, many European countries introduced extensive reforms to the way that income protection and activation programmes for the unemployed are implemented and delivered. This book analyzes and compares these reforms in nine European countries, focusing on the reforms programmes themselves, as well as on their effects.

Representative Democracy - Legislators and their Constituents (Hardcover): Michael L. Mezey Representative Democracy - Legislators and their Constituents (Hardcover)
Michael L. Mezey
R3,279 Discovery Miles 32 790 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Although we tend to use the terms "representative democracy" and "democracy" as synonyms, Michael Mezey maintains that they are not. Democracy means that the people govern; representative democracy means that the people elect others to govern for them. This raises the question of the extent to which representative government approximates democracy-a question that turns on the relationship between representatives and those whom they represent. Mezey reviews the literature on the meaning of representation and its relationship to issues of citizen control. In the empirical sections that follow, he draws on data from the United States Congress and from legislatures outside the United States to discuss the extent to which the composition of a legislature reflects the demography of its nation. The author also examines a legislature's various political and economic interests and the extent to which representatives are responsive to specific requests for assistance from their constituents and to constituent opinions on public policy questions. He further looks at the effect that interest groups, political parties, and election systems have on the relationship between representatives and their constituents. Finally, Mezey addresses the criticisms that have been leveled against representative institutions: that they are slow to act, inefficient and uninformed when they do act, that they are too inclined to do what is popular rather than what is necessary and, conversely, that their members are too removed from the opinions of their constituents and therefore unfaithful to their democratic obligation to respond to the wishes of those whom they represent. Rich in thoughtful analysis, Representative Democracy incorporates normative, empirical and comparative perspectives on representation. It is perfectly suited for use in an upper-level course on the legislative process or Congress.

Ukraine's Search for Justice in the Shadow of the Donbas Conflict - Strategic Reforms or Crisis Management? (Hardcover,... Ukraine's Search for Justice in the Shadow of the Donbas Conflict - Strategic Reforms or Crisis Management? (Hardcover, New edition)
Igor Lyubashenko
R1,068 Discovery Miles 10 680 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Should we punish wrongdoers? Should we take care of the ones who suffered from wrongdoings? Although we may believe answers to these questions are obvious, they become less so when similar questions are asked under exceptional circumstances, such as armed conflicts. These answers may decide about the continuation of hostilities or their end. The stakes are high, while we can hardly ignore the need to deal with the consequences of violence generated by a conflict. This book discusses the dilemmas and challenges associated with the provision of justice in the context of the armed conflict in Ukrainian Donbas in 2014–2019.

The Challenge of Sustaining Democracy in Deeply Divided Societies - Citizenship, Rights, and Ethnic Conflicts in India and... The Challenge of Sustaining Democracy in Deeply Divided Societies - Citizenship, Rights, and Ethnic Conflicts in India and Israel (Hardcover)
Ayelet Harel-Shalev
R4,015 Discovery Miles 40 150 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In this book, Harel-Shalev analyzes public policy and governmental features in procedurally democratic states that govern deeply divided societies. The book traces the political formula that enables such states to survive while sustaining a democratic process in the face of religious, ethnic, and national conflicts. It investigates citizenship discourses, analyzes the mechanisms political regimes use to give rights to minorities while simultaneously limiting their power, and illustrates how this unique political formula can be applied in two case studies of vastly different countries-Israel and India. The analogous conflicts in India and Israel that threaten the survival of democracy-the ethno-religious conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India and the ethno-national conflict between Jews and Arab-Palestinians in Israel-are analyzed in depth. In addition, the core cases of India and Israel, states in which democracy has survived for over sixty years, are compared with two additional countries where democracy was short-lived. This issue is especially pertinent to the world today, as many young nations currently in the process of state building are coping with the challenges inherent in building democratic institutions in plural and polarized societies. The book explores the inherent tension between the conflicting logics of democracy, citizenship, and nation-state, and suggests enhanced tools for investigating societies in which this tension exists.

Social Movements and the New State - The Fate of Pro-Democracy Organizations When Democracy Is Won (Hardcover): Brian K. Grodsky Social Movements and the New State - The Fate of Pro-Democracy Organizations When Democracy Is Won (Hardcover)
Brian K. Grodsky
R2,392 Discovery Miles 23 920 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The world's democracies cheered as the social movements of the Arab Spring ended the reigns of longstanding dictators and ushered in the possibility of democracy. Yet these unique transitions also fit into a broader pattern of democratic breakthroughs around the globe, where political leaders emerge from the pro-democracy movement that helped affect change. In "Social Movements and the New State," Brian Grodsky examines the relationships between new political elites and the civil society organizations that brought them to power in three culturally and geographically disparate countriesOCoPoland, South Africa, and Georgia.
This book argues that the identities and personal networks developed during the struggle provide movement activists with opportunities to influence minor issues, but that new and differing institutional pressures create schisms on broader policy that can turn prior bonds into a liability rather than an asset. Drawing on media analyses and more than 150 elite interviews, Grodsky offers a rare empirical assessment of the degree to which social movement organizations shape activists' beliefs and actions over the long term.
"

Roots of the State - Neighborhood Organization and Social Networks in Beijing and Taipei (Hardcover, New): Benjamin Read Roots of the State - Neighborhood Organization and Social Networks in Beijing and Taipei (Hardcover, New)
Benjamin Read
R2,599 Discovery Miles 25 990 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Most social science studies of local organizations tend to focus on civil society associations, voluntary associations independent from state control, whereas government-sponsored organizations tend to be theorized in totalitarian terms as mass organizations or manifestations of state corporatism. "Roots of the State" examines neighborhood associations in Beijing and Taipei that occupy a unique space that exists between these concepts.
Benjamin L. Read views the work of the neighborhood associations he studies as a form of administrative grassroots engagement. States sponsor networks of organizations at the most local of levels, and the networks facilitate governance and policing by building personal relationships with members of society. Association leaders serve as the state's designated liaisons within the neighborhood and perform administrative duties covering a wide range of government programs, from welfare to political surveillance. These partly state-controlled entities also provide a range of services to their constituents.
Neighborhood associations, as institutions initially created to control societies, may underpin a repressive regime such as China's, but they also can evolve to empower societies, as in Taiwan. This book engages broad and much-discussed questions about governance and political participation in both authoritarian and democratic regimes.

The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome - The History of a Dangerous Idea (Hardcover): Edward J. Watts The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome - The History of a Dangerous Idea (Hardcover)
Edward J. Watts
R790 Discovery Miles 7 900 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

As this book intriguingly explores, for those who would make Rome great again and their victims, ideas of Roman decline and renewal have had a long and violent history. The decline of Rome has been a constant source of discussion for more than 2200 years. Everyone from American journalists in the twenty-first century AD to Roman politicians at the turn of the third century BC have used it as a tool to illustrate the negative consequences of changes in their world. Because Roman history is so long, it provides a buffet of ready-made stories of decline that can help develop the context around any snapshot. And Rome did, in fact, decline and, eventually, fall. An empire that once controlled all or part of more than 40 modern European, Asian, and African countries no longer exists. Roman prophets of decline were, ultimately, proven correct-a fact that makes their modern invocations all the more powerful. If it happened then, it could happen now. The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome tells the stories of the people who built their political and literary careers around promises of Roman renewal as well as those of the victims they blamed for causing Rome's decline. Each chapter offers the historical context necessary to understand a moment or a series of moments in which Romans, aspiring Romans, and non-Romans used ideas of Roman decline and restoration to seize power and remake the world around them. The story begins during the Roman Republic just after 200 BC. It proceeds through the empire of Augustus and his successors, traces the Roman loss of much of western Europe in the fifth century AD, and then follows Roman history as it runs through the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) until its fall in 1453. The final two chapters look at ideas of Roman decline and renewal from the fifteenth century until today. If Rome illustrates the profound danger of the rhetoric of decline, it also demonstrates the rehabilitative potential of a rhetoric that focuses on collaborative restoration, a lesson of great relevance to our world today.

Adaptable Autocrats - Regime Power in Egypt and Syria (Hardcover, New): Joshua Stacher Adaptable Autocrats - Regime Power in Egypt and Syria (Hardcover, New)
Joshua Stacher
R2,207 Discovery Miles 22 070 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The decades-long resilience of Middle Eastern regimes meant that few anticipated the 2011 Arab Spring. But from the seemingly rapid leadership turnovers in Tunisia and Egypt to the protracted stalemates in Yemen and Syria, there remains a common outcome: ongoing control of the ruling regimes. While some analysts and media outlets rush to look for democratic breakthroughs, autocratic continuity--not wide-ranging political change--remains the hallmark of the region's upheaval.
Contrasting Egypt and Syria, Joshua Stacher examines how executive power is structured in each country to show how these preexisting power configurations shaped the uprisings and, in turn, the outcomes. Presidential power in Egypt was centralized. Even as Mubarak was forced to relinquish the presidency, military generals from the regime were charged with leading the transition. The course of the Syrian uprising reveals a key difference: the decentralized character of Syrian politics. Only time will tell if Asad will survive in office, but for now, the regime continues to unify around him. While debates about election timetables, new laws, and the constitution have come about in Egypt, bloody street confrontations continue to define Syrian politics--the differences in authoritarian rule could not be more stark.
Political structures, elite alliances, state institutions, and governing practices are seldom swept away entirely--even following successful revolutions--so it is vital to examine the various contexts for regime survival. Elections, protests, and political struggles will continue to define the region in the upcoming years. Examining the lead-up to the Egyptian and Syrian uprisings helps us unlock the complexity behind the protests and transitions. Without this understanding, we lack a roadmap to make sense of the Middle East's most important political moment in decades.

Cedric J. Robinson - On Racial Capitalism, Black Internationalism, and Cultures of Resistance (Hardcover): Cedric J. Robinson Cedric J. Robinson - On Racial Capitalism, Black Internationalism, and Cultures of Resistance (Hardcover)
Cedric J. Robinson; Edited by H. L. T. Quan; Foreword by Ruth Wilson Gilmore
R2,021 Discovery Miles 20 210 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Cedric J. Robinson is considered one of the doyens of Black Studies and a pioneer in study of the Black Radical Tradition. His works have been essential texts, deconstructing racial capitalism and inspiring insurgent movements from Ferguson to the West Bank. For the first time, Robinson's essays come together, spanning over four decades and reflective of his diverse interests in the interconnections between culture and politics, radical social theory and classic and modern political philosophy. Themes explored include Africa and Black internationalism, World politics, race and US Foreign Policy, representations of blackness in popular culture, and reflections on popular resistance to racial capitalism, white supremacy and more. Accompanied by an introduction by H. L. T. Quan and a foreword by Ruth Wilson Gilmore, this collection, which includes previously unpublished materials, extends the many contributions by a giant in Black radical thought.

Ultra-Nationalist Policies of Trump and Reflections in the World (Hardcover, New edition): Hanefi Yazici, Mim Kemal Oeke Ultra-Nationalist Policies of Trump and Reflections in the World (Hardcover, New edition)
Hanefi Yazici, Mim Kemal Oeke
R1,195 Discovery Miles 11 950 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The main aim of this book is to evaluate the US foreign policy during the Trump era and its ultra-nationalism within the context of its influence on the major actors and regions at the international level. The authoritarian dimension of the Trump administration's policy will be the supportive element of the framework of this book. The events in the US move very quickly nowadays in terms of Trump's authoritarianism, despite all the natural shortcomings. We hope that this book will serve as a guide to understand Trump's US foreign policy.

British Public Diplomacy and Soft Power - Diplomatic Influence and the Digital Revolution (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2016): James... British Public Diplomacy and Soft Power - Diplomatic Influence and the Digital Revolution (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2016)
James Pamment
R4,275 Discovery Miles 42 750 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This volume outlines two decades of reforms at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), British Council and BBC World Service - the so-called Public Diplomacy Partners. Between 1995 and 2015, the FCO and its partner organisations in promoting British influence abroad have introduced major changes to how, where and with whom diplomacy is conducted. This unique study links major organisational reforms to the changing political, technological and intellectual contexts of the day. Through detailed case studies over a 20-year period, this study demonstrates how and why British diplomacy evolved from a secretive institution to one understanding its purpose as a global thought leader through concepts such as public diplomacy, digital diplomacy and soft power. It is rich with unpublished documents and case studies, and is the most detailed study of the FCO and British Council in the contemporary period. From Cool Britannia to the recent GREAT campaign via the 2012 Olympics and diplomats on Twitter, this book charts the theory and practice behind a 21st century revolution in British diplomacy. This work will be of much interest to policymakers and advisors, students and researchers, and foreign policy and communication specialists. "From the heady past of Cool Britannia to the present days of the Great Campaign by way of the Royal Wedding, London Olympics and multiple other gambits in Britain's evolving attempt to connect to foreign publics, this book is the essential account of the inner workings of a vital aspect of contemporary British foreign policy: public diplomacy. James Pamment is an astute, succinct and engaging Dante, bringing his readers on journey through the policy processes behind the scenes. We see the public diplomacy equivalents of paradise, purgatory and the inferno, though Pamment leaves us to decide which is which." Nicholas J. Cull, author of 'The Decline and Fall of the United States Information Agency: American Public Diplomacy, 1989-2001'. "A gift to practitioners who want to do the job better: required reading for anyone going into a senior job at the British Council, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office and enlightened thinkers at 10 Downing Street, HM Treasury and Ministries of Foreign Affairs worldwide. Authoritative, scholarly and accurate, Pamment strikes a great balance between the salient details and the overarching picture. He also does a major service to those of us who lived it; our toils make more sense for what he has done - placing them in a historical and conceptual context." John Worne, Director of Strategy & External Relations, British Council, 2007-2015

Labor Rights and Multinational Production (Hardcover): Layna Mosley Labor Rights and Multinational Production (Hardcover)
Layna Mosley
R2,227 Discovery Miles 22 270 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Labor Rights and Multinational Production investigates the relationship between workers' rights and multinational production. Mosley argues that some types of multinational production, embodied in directly owned foreign investment, positively affect labor rights. But other types of international production, particularly subcontracting, can engender competitive races to the bottom in labor rights. To test these claims, Mosley presents newly generated measures of collective labor rights, covering a wide range of low- and middle-income nations for the 1985-2002 period. Labor Rights and Multinational Production suggests that the consequences of economic openness for developing countries are highly dependent on foreign firms' modes of entry and, more generally, on the precise way in which each developing country engages the global economy. The book contributes to academic literature in comparative and international political economy, and to public policy debates regarding the effects of globalization.

Freedom Rising - Human Empowerment and the Quest for Emancipation (Hardcover, New): Christian Welzel Freedom Rising - Human Empowerment and the Quest for Emancipation (Hardcover, New)
Christian Welzel
R2,323 Discovery Miles 23 230 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book presents a comprehensive theory of why human freedom gave way to increasing oppression since the invention of states - and why this trend began to reverse itself more recently, leading to a rapid expansion of universal freedoms and democracy. Drawing on a massive body of evidence, the author tests various explanations of the rise of freedom, providing convincing support of a well-reasoned theory of emancipation. The study demonstrates multiple trends toward human empowerment, which converge to give people control over their lives. Most important among these trends is the spread of 'emancipative values', which emphasize free choice and equal opportunities. The author identifies the desire for emancipation as the origin of the human empowerment trend and shows when and why this desire grows strong; why it is the source of democracy; and how it vitalizes civil society, feeds humanitarian norms, enhances happiness, and helps redirect modern civilization toward sustainable development.

A Comparative Study of Korean Literature - Literary Migration (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2016): Sang Jin Park A Comparative Study of Korean Literature - Literary Migration (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2016)
Sang Jin Park
R2,134 Discovery Miles 21 340 Ships in 9 - 17 working days

This study in comparative literature reinterprets and reevaluates literary texts and socio-historical transitions, moving between the Korean, East Asian, and European contexts (and with particular reference to the reception of Dante Alighieri in the East). In the process, it reexamines the universality of literary values and reopens the questions of what literature is and what it can do. By close reading of texts, it aims to give exposure to Korean literature, in such a way as to attract more attention to the field of world literature and to focus on what kind of relationship they can form and what new horizon of literariness they can construct in the future. This work will help to put the geography of world literature on a more open and just basis, by showing the porous nature of literary migration and supplying the missing links in the current discourse on world literature.

Party Change, Recent Democracies, and Portugal - Comparative Perspectives (Hardcover): Marco Lisi Party Change, Recent Democracies, and Portugal - Comparative Perspectives (Hardcover)
Marco Lisi
R2,742 Discovery Miles 27 420 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book offers a critical overview on the literature on party change and provides original data on several dimensions of party organizations, focusing in particular on Portuguese political parties. The Portuguese case study will be used to illustrate how political parties evolve and the main differences in the trajectory experienced by parties in old democracies. Therefore, starting from the main theoretical contributions used to study party change, this book examines some key dimensions of the role played by political parties: ideological and programmatic orientations, the social basis of support, party organization, electoral campaigns and the elections of party leaders. Through a wide and rich data collection and the comparative perspective adopted, this book furthers our understanding of how Portuguese political parties have changed and the impact of this change on the quality of democracy.

Karl W. Deutsch: Pioneer in the Theory of International Relations - With a Preface by Charles Lewis Taylor  and Bruce M.... Karl W. Deutsch: Pioneer in the Theory of International Relations - With a Preface by Charles Lewis Taylor and Bruce M. Russett (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020)
Charles Lewis Taylor, Bruce M. Russett
R3,032 Discovery Miles 30 320 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This is a memorial for Karl Wolfgang Deutsch, a pioneering political scientist, international relations specialist and peace scholar of the 20th century. Born in Prague, he was a professor at MIT, Yale and Harvard and spent a decade at the Social Science Center Berlin (WZB). He was a global leader in the theory and scientific analysis of international relations and comparative politics who published on nationalism, social communication, European integration, war and peace, arms control, social cybernetics, general systems analysis, and global modelling. He pioneered the development and analysis of large-scale political and social data across nations and over time and proposed a widespread access to these data and their scientific evaluation. This book offers biographical data on Karl W. Deutsch, reproduces chapters from his PhD thesis and his book Nerves of Government. Colleagues from the USA (A.S. Markovits, H. Alker, R.L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr.,P. J. Katzenstein, T.R. Cusack, C.L. Taylor), Germany (D. Senghaas, R. Wildenmann, R. Mackensen, K. v. Beyme) and the Czech Republic (M. Hroch) offer Collegial Critiques and Memorials. It provides a comprehensive bibliography of his publications and memorials for a great scholar, a superb academic teacher and world citizen. * Karl Wolfgang Deutsch was a major global pioneer in Political Science, internationalrelations and peace research in the 20th century. * His most creative contributions were the concept of social mobilization, the use of cyberneticsto study human relationships, the introduction of politics in world modeling, and the role of communication in governance.* He was president of the American Political Science Association (1969-70) and of theInternational Political Science Association (1976-79) and was a Director of the SocialScience Research Center Berlin (1977-87). * Academics, including graduate students, exploring nationalism, political integration,social communications, cybernetics, and global modeling will find this volume instructive.

Constitutional Identities in Central and Eastern Europe (Hardcover, New edition): Alexandra Mercescu Constitutional Identities in Central and Eastern Europe (Hardcover, New edition)
Alexandra Mercescu
R1,292 Discovery Miles 12 920 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This collection of papers explores the concept of constitutional identity in theory and with specific reference to Central and Eastern Europe at a time when many countries across but also beyond the region seem to appeal to an identarian rhetoric in order to justify their illiberal political attitudes. Drawing on law, political science, philosophy or sociology, the contributions address salient questions of constitutional and political theory like the understanding of (constitutional) identity in a post-Westphalian legal order, the extent and the stakes of judicial dialogue between national and supranational (European) judges and the so-called abusive legal transplants. As such, the book also touches upon more general topics such as the rule of law, populism, globalization, legal consciousness and legal culture.

Regulation of Infrastructure and Utilities - Public Policy and Management Issues (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018): Alberto Asquer Regulation of Infrastructure and Utilities - Public Policy and Management Issues (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018)
Alberto Asquer
R3,530 Discovery Miles 35 300 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This book provides a comprehensive discussion of the public policy and management issues that are encountered in the regulation of infrastructure and utilities. Drawing from theoretical arguments and several case studies, the book is divided into three parts, namely devising regulation, installing regulation, and making regulation work. The first part covers theories of regulation, regulatory policies, strategies and tools, and regulatory reforms. The second part deals with the politics of regulation and regulatory capacity. The third part discusses regulatory commitment and investments, the performance of regulated industries, and the design of regulatory systems. Case studies pay attention to various sectors (including water, electricity, telecommunications, highways, railways, district heating, and airports) from countries in every region of the world. ; ;

A Bias Radar for Responsible Policy-Making - Foresight-Based Scientific Advice (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020): Lieve Van Woensel A Bias Radar for Responsible Policy-Making - Foresight-Based Scientific Advice (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020)
Lieve Van Woensel
R1,747 Discovery Miles 17 470 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Policymakers prepare society for the future and this book provides a practical toolkit for preparing pro-active, future-proof scientific policy advice for them. It explains how to make scientific advisory strategies holistic. It also explains how and where biases, which interfere with the proper functioning of the entire science-policy ecosystem, arise and investigates how emotions and other biases affect the understanding and assessment of scientific evidence. The book advocates explorative foresight, systems thinking, interdisciplinarity, bias awareness and the anticipation of undesirable impacts in policy advising, and it offers practical guidance for them. Written in an accessible style, the book offers provocative reflections on how scientific policy advice should be sensitive to more than scientific evidence. It is both an appealing introductory text for everyone interested in science-based policy and a valuable guide for the experienced scientific adviser and policy scholar. "This book is a valuable read for all stakeholders in the scientific advisory ecosystem. Lieve Van Woensel offers concrete methods to bridge the gap between scientific advice and policy making, to assess the possible societal impacts of complex scientific and technological developments, and to support decision-makers' more strategic understanding of the issues they have to make decisions about. I was privileged to see them proove their value as I worked with Lieve on the pilot project of the Scientific Foresight unit for The European Parliament's STOA panel." - Kristel Van der Elst, CEO, The Global Foresight Group; Executive Head, Policy Horizons Canada "A must-read for not only scientific policy advisers, but also those interested in the ethics of scientific advisory processes. Lieve Van Woensel walks readers through a well-structured practical toolkit that bases policy advice on more than scientific evidence by taking into account policies' potential effects on society and the environment." - Dr Paul Rubig, Former Member of the European Parliament and former Chair of the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology

Adaptable Autocrats - Regime Power in Egypt and Syria (Paperback): Joshua Stacher Adaptable Autocrats - Regime Power in Egypt and Syria (Paperback)
Joshua Stacher
R604 Discovery Miles 6 040 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The decades-long resilience of Middle Eastern regimes meant that few anticipated the 2011 Arab Spring. But from the seemingly rapid leadership turnovers in Tunisia and Egypt to the protracted stalemates in Yemen and Syria, there remains a common outcome: ongoing control of the ruling regimes. While some analysts and media outlets rush to look for democratic breakthroughs, autocratic continuity--not wide-ranging political change--remains the hallmark of the region's upheaval.
Contrasting Egypt and Syria, Joshua Stacher examines how executive power is structured in each country to show how these preexisting power configurations shaped the uprisings and, in turn, the outcomes. Presidential power in Egypt was centralized. Even as Mubarak was forced to relinquish the presidency, military generals from the regime were charged with leading the transition. The course of the Syrian uprising reveals a key difference: the decentralized character of Syrian politics. Only time will tell if Asad will survive in office, but for now, the regime continues to unify around him. While debates about election timetables, new laws, and the constitution have come about in Egypt, bloody street confrontations continue to define Syrian politics--the differences in authoritarian rule could not be more stark.
Political structures, elite alliances, state institutions, and governing practices are seldom swept away entirely--even following successful revolutions--so it is vital to examine the various contexts for regime survival. Elections, protests, and political struggles will continue to define the region in the upcoming years. Examining the lead-up to the Egyptian and Syrian uprisings helps us unlock the complexity behind the protests and transitions. Without this understanding, we lack a roadmap to make sense of the Middle East's most important political moment in decades.

Intermediation and Representation in Latin America - Actors and Roles Beyond Elections (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2017): Gisela... Intermediation and Representation in Latin America - Actors and Roles Beyond Elections (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2017)
Gisela Zaremberg, Valeria Guarneros-Meza, Adrian Gurza Lavalle
R3,278 Discovery Miles 32 780 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book shows how the introduction of intermediation is relevant in studying political and public policy processes, as they are increasingly accompanied by grey spaces in public and non-public arenas that cannot be categorized as purely representative or purely participative. Instead, 'hybrid' mechanisms are developing in the policy-making process, which bring in new actors who either are unelected while being required to represent or advocate for the common good of others or are directly elected but challenged by identity/rights-based issues of the people they are required to act in the best interest of. By proposing a conceptual frame on intermediation and addressing five different Latin American countries and a wide range of case studies -from human rights, labour relations, neighbourhood management, municipal bureaucracies, social accountability, to complex national systems of citizen participation-this volume shows the versatility and validity of a tridimensional frame, the "cube of political intermediation" (CPI) as a tool for analysing public policy and understanding contemporary democratic innovation in Latin America.

Roots of the State - Neighborhood Organization and Social Networks in Beijing and Taipei (Paperback, New): Benjamin Read Roots of the State - Neighborhood Organization and Social Networks in Beijing and Taipei (Paperback, New)
Benjamin Read
R689 Discovery Miles 6 890 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Most social science studies of local organizations tend to focus on "civil society" associations, voluntary associations independent from state control, whereas government-sponsored organizations tend to be theorized in totalitarian terms as "mass organizations" or manifestations of state corporatism. "Roots of the State" examines neighborhood associations in Beijing and Taipei that occupy a unique space that exists between these concepts.
Benjamin L. Read views the work of the neighborhood associations he studies as a form of "administrative grassroots engagement." States sponsor networks of organizations at the most local of levels, and the networks facilitate governance and policing by building personal relationships with members of society. Association leaders serve as the state's designated liaisons within the neighborhood and perform administrative duties covering a wide range of government programs, from welfare to political surveillance. These partly state-controlled entities also provide a range of services to their constituents.
Neighborhood associations, as institutions initially created to control societies, may underpin a repressive regime such as China's, but they also can evolve to empower societies, as in Taiwan. This book engages broad and much-discussed questions about governance and political participation in both authoritarian and democratic regimes.

Free Traders - Elites, Democracy, and the Rise of Globalization in North America (Hardcover): Malcolm Fairbrother Free Traders - Elites, Democracy, and the Rise of Globalization in North America (Hardcover)
Malcolm Fairbrother
R2,695 Discovery Miles 26 950 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Today's global economy was largely established by political events and decisions in the 1980s and 90s, when scores of nations opened up their economies to the forces of globalization. In Free Traders, Malcolm Fairbrother argues that politicians' embrace of globalization was much less motivated by public preferences than by the agendas of businesspeople and other elites. Drawing on over one hundred interviews with decision-makers, and analyses of archival materials from Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., Fairbrother tells the story of how each country negotiated and ratified two agreements that substantially opened and integrated their economies: the 1989 Canada-U.S. and trilateral 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. Contrary to what many commentators believe, these agreements-like free trade elsewhere-were based less on mainstream, neoclassical economics than on the informal, self-serving economic ideas of business. While the stakes in the globalization debate remain high, Free Traders uses a comparative-historical approach to sharpen our understanding of how globalization arose in the past to provide us with clearer trajectory for how it will develop in the future.

International Organizations and Internal Conditionality - Making Norms Matter (Hardcover): R. Fawn International Organizations and Internal Conditionality - Making Norms Matter (Hardcover)
R. Fawn
R3,378 Discovery Miles 33 780 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In retrospect, NATO and EU enlargements can be viewed as easy; they admitted states that wanted to be involved and were lavishly rewarded. In contrast, this study explores the harder politics waged by the much larger regional organizations, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). These organizations lack material incentives or instruments of coercion, instead having to work on the basis of shared values. They also face a variety of threats from recalcitrant members. In this book, Fawn uniquely uses internal conditionality to explain how these organizations have cleverly and subtly responded to such difficulties.Drawing on interviews in a range of post-communist countries and with practitioners inside and outside the organizations, the diverse case studies in this book examine issues of conflict, democratization, the death penalty, rewarding high office and retaining institutional membership. Fawn explores how international organizations which lack powers of compulsion can respond to threatening member-states and offers practical lessons for the international promotion of norms.This book will appeal to those interested in how international underdogs work and win in tough circumstances, as well as scholars of International Relations, Central and Eastern European Studies, Post-Soviet Studies and European Security.

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