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Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Area / regional studies > General
Taxation and Inequality in Latin America takes a heterodox political economy approach, focusing on Latin America, where current problems of taxation have existed for a century and great wealth contrasts with abject poverty. The book analyzes the relation of natural resource wealth, allocational politics and the limited role of taxation for redistribution, and progressive resource mobilization. By drawing on the political economy of tax regimes, the book considers the specific conditions of taxation in Latin America, which apply to a large part of the Global South and more than 100 countries specializing in the extraction and export of raw materials. This book will cover: taxation and the dominance of raw material export sectors; taxation and allocational politics; new perspectives on political economy and tax regimes. Scholars and advanced students of political economy, political science, development studies, and fiscal sociology will find several key issues in tax research from a novel angle. The book provides an analytical orientation that relates central questions of taxation to patterns of regional political economy, thereby opening up the debate with tax scholars from other world regions of the Global South.
Analyses evolving doctrines and new and disruptive technologies (including nuclear deterrence), and how these impact the conflict dynamics between India and Pakistan. Evaluates the ways and means by which crisis and deterrence stability is achieved between India and Pakistan. Will help to predict future course of conflicts and offer a future policy framework for arms race / deterrence stability.
The first comparative, systematic and theoretically based analysis of the international relations of SSG in a bilateral relationship (U.S.-Mexico) and a comparative analysis of the international affairs of two U.S. states: California and Texas. Uses International Relations theories to explain the causes and consequences of the international actions of Mexican and U.S. SSG, with an emphasis on California and Texas.
This book analyses the underlying communication strategies and approaches of grassroots water management practices in India through a case study-based ethnographic approach. Drawing from fieldwork experiences, this volume provides a detailed overview of Parmarth, a not-for-profit NGO, which is the case study for this research. It presents an in-depth theoretically informed analysis of data collected through multiple methods, which includes key informant interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, and document reviews, among other approaches. The book examines Parmarth's strategies and processes to mobilise women as important stakeholders in the region's water conservation initiatives. It discusses communicative actions, tactics and campaigns in water interventions and the role of various stakeholders ranging from local community members to civil society. Accessibly written, this volume is a must-read for scholars and researchers of media and communication studies, environmental communication, ecology studies, development studies, public policy, sustainable development, water management, sociology, and political science.
Race in Sweden is an introduction to, and a critical investigation of, the Swedish relationship to race in the post-war and contemporary eras. This relationship is fundamentally shaped by an ideology of colourblindness, with any kind of race talk being taboo in public discourse and everyday language use, and in practice forbidden in official and institutional language. A study of a country which was until recently strikingly white but has become extremely diverse, yet where the legacy of Swedish whiteness co-exists with a radical, colourblind, antiracist ideology, Race in Sweden will appeal to scholars across the social sciences and humanities with interests in race and ethnicity, whiteness and Nordic studies.
This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the benefits and challenges of intensifying groundwater irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for improving smallholder agrarian livelihoods. Only about 3% of the groundwater resources of Sub-Saharan Africa are used for irrigated agriculture despite the subcontinent’s relative abundance of groundwater. The majority of the region’s smallholders are highly dependent on seasonal dryland cropping, making them extremely vulnerable to uncertain weather patterns and droughts. Improved irrigation capabilities through sustainable groundwater development could unleash smallholder farming and make it a major driver of economic growth, poverty reduction, climate resilience, and improved food security. So, why is groundwater so underused? Tapping into groundwater requires a major shift in farming practices and it has its own challenges and requirements – smallholder access to land and finance for irrigation infrastructure and equipment, gendered and equitable adoption options. This whole list is framed in terms of what the smallholder farmers need. Hence, this should also be put in this context, supply chains, energy access, resource availability, and institutional support. The chapters in this book present a picture that is not only heterogeneous across the region, but also hold some common denominators. They serve to enrich the discourse and help better understand the barriers along the pathways toward the sustainable and transformative adoption of groundwater irrigation. The scientific information provided herein would be of interest to researchers, practitioners, decision makers and planners with interest in the region. This book was originally published as a Special Issue of Water International journal.
A systematic analysis on how social governance and political order are manipulated into a discourse system with close internal logical connections Covers China's market reform, petitioning system, unit changes, social stratification, development and construction Reveals the Chinese political mechanism.
Focused on the 2010-2011 Arab Uprisings, this book examines the role of the military in Tunisia and Libya, arguing that both armies contributed decisively to the outcome and form of the respective uprisings. The book begins by contextualizing the uprisings, with both countries plagued by anti-democratic politics and unequal social and economic structures in the 2000s. Alongside this, the book explores the key actors and factors leading up to, during, and after the uprisings. Employing a comparative case study methodology and drawing from approaches in rational choice theory and institutionalism, the author argues that the tripartite configuration of energy capacity, military structure, and strength of protest led to dichotomous outcomes in the countries. Tunisia, where the military defected, was marked by a lack of energy wealth, apolitical military structure, and high level of protest, enabling a nonviolent transfer of power. In contrast, in Libya, where parts of the military remained loyal to Gaddafi’s regime, protests evolved into violent civil conflict. Making use of expert and elite interviews obtained from fieldwork in Tunisia, as well as data from the research field, the book will appeal to specialists and students interested in international politics, military and security studies, and the MENA region.
This book looks at various syncretic traditions in India, such as Bhakti, Nath Yogi, Sufi, Imam Shahi, Ismailis, Khojas, and others, and presents an elaborate picture of a redefined cultural space through them. It also investigates different syncretisms—Hindu–Muslim, Hindu– Muslim–Christian and Aboriginal-Ethnic—to understand diverse aspects of hybridity within the Indian nation space. It discusses how Indian nationalism was composed of different opinions from its inception, reflecting its rich diversity and pluralistic traditions. The book traces the emergence of multiple contours of Indian nationalism through the historical trajectory of religious diversity, lingering effects of colonialism, and experimentation with secularism. This volume caters to scholars and students interested in cultural studies, religion studies, pilgrimage studies, history, social anthropology, historical sociology, historical geography, religion, and art history. It will also be of interest to political theorists and general readers.
Taking the theme of 'abolition' as its point of departure, this book builds on the significant growth in scholarship on unfree labour in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds during the past two decades. The essays included here revisit some of the persistent problems posed by the traditional comparative literature on slavery and indentured labour and identify new and exciting areas for future research. This book is intended for a broad audience, including scholars, students as well as for a general readership who have specific interests in the history of the slave trade, slavery and imperial history. It was originally published as a special issue of the journal, Atlantic Studies: Global Currents.
This book explores the myriad issues that play out in the upstream petroleum industry of Ghana from a legal perspective. Focusing on Ghana as an emerging petroleum country, Thomas Kojo Stephens begins by examining whether the existing constitutional framework will be effective in governing the expanding oil and gas sector. Drawing on various approaches proffered by other experts in the field, Stephens looks at possible institutional structures that could be put in place and juxtaposes these ideas with the experience of Ghana to test the efficacy of these proposals. He also explores the types of contractual frameworks currently implemented in Ghana for comparison with other emerging petroleum economies, examining the barriers to effectiveness, novel provisions that must be incorporated and lessons learned from other regions. Finally, the book highlights how vital it is for the Ghanaian State to monitor the use of petroleum revenue and make ethical investment decisions that prioritise the interests of Ghanaian citizens. Upstream Oil and Gas in Ghana will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy law and policy, oil and gas management and African Studies more broadly, as well as those working in the upstream petroleum industry.
This book investigates the ways in which the war on terror has transformed the postcolonial state in Africa. Taking American intervention in Islamic education in Uganda as the entry point, the book demonstrates how state control over Islamic truth production and everyday Muslim life has increased. During the colonial period, the Muslims in Uganda were governed in two ways: partly as lesser citizens within the Christian-dominated civil sphere and partly as members of a distinct Muslim domain. In this domain, a local system of Islamic education developed with a degree of autonomy that reflected the limits of the colonial state in shaping the Muslim subject. In the subsequent postcolonial period, systems of patronage and clientalistic networks dominated, and Muslim leaders were co-opted by the state, but without much real interference in the day-to-day lives of ordinary Muslims. However, as part of the war on terror, the US State Department seeks to bring the mechanisms of Islamic truth production, especially the madrasa, under direct state control and civil society scrutiny. This book argues that the "Muslim domain as a separate entity is coming to an end as it is being absorbed into the civil sphere, unifying the state’s domination of society." The book also analyzes local Ugandan Muslim initiatives to modernise and contextualize their own education and religion and how these initiatives are shaped by and transcend the dominant power. A thorough exploration of US foreign policy and Islamic education, this book will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of Political Studies, African Studies and Religious Studies.
This book explores violent and discriminatory values and beliefs and their interconnectedness between societal echelons. Violence has a foundation and a context. It comes from somewhere and is directed at someone or something, and it has an ambience established through generations of social, cultural, political, financial and religious strategies. It fashions nation-states’ hegemonic ideology and frames individual behaviours and attitudes, thus creating a milieu that enables the normalisation of violence. The focus is on violence-infused behaviours and actions in the public realm, a multifunctional environment for social and cultural activities, as well as a workplace, entertainment and transport hub. It is a public setting, sometimes demanding onerous deftness of individuals to stay safe. Attitudes, values and beliefs around violence, harassment and discrimination in the public realm frequently occur openly without anyone noticing that a crime has been committed, including by close bystanders. An audience steeped in societal hegemonic social and cultural patriarchal ideology might be oblivious to harassing or discriminative behaviours and attitudes against females, minority genders and ethnic minority groups. The habitual nature and normalisation of these invisible crimes make them easy to dismiss. Violence materialises on all societal levels: the hegemonic structural (macro) level, consisting of the society’s dominating political, financial, social, cultural and religious leaders, educational and community institutions (meso) level and the individual-agency (micro) level, hence the nationstate’s populace. Societal order is underpinned by structural, systemic and symbolic violence, all integrated into contemporary society’s cultural and social fabric, thus inconspicuous social norms as ingrained through internalisation. The book is written from a sociological perspective and within the risk society discourse, where the risk of violence in the public domain is omnipresent. Discourses of Arendt, Bauman, Bourdieu, Marx, Foucault, Galtung and Beck and present-day analysis underpin the discussions. The agency and political leadership research emphatically show that violence and discrimination are normalised and ingrained in the contemporary milieu.
Now in its third edition, Food in World History explores culinary cultures and food politics throughout the world, from ancient times to the present day, with expanded discussions of industrialization, indigeneity, colonialism, gender, environment, and food and power. It examines the long history of globalization of foods as well as the political, social, and environmental implications of our changing relationship with food, showing how hunger and taste have been driving forces in human history. Including numerous case studies from diverse societies and periods, such as Maya and Inka cuisines and peasant agriculture in the early modern era, Food in World History explores such questions as: What social factors have historically influenced culinary globalization? How did early modern plantations establish patterns for modern industrial food production? How will the climate crisis affect food production and culinary cultures? Did Italian and Chinese migrant cooks sacrifice authenticity to gain social acceptance in the Americas? Have genetically modified foods fulfilled the promises made by proponents? With the inclusion of more global examples, this comprehensive survey is an ideal resource for all students who study food history or food studies.
This volume illustrates the sweeping changes in Cuban foreign policy under Raul Castro. Leading scholars from around the world show how the significant shift in foreign policy direction that started in 1990 after the implosion of the Soviet Union has continued, in many ways taking totally unexpected paths-as is shown by the move toward the normalization of relations with Washington. Providing a systematic overview of Cuba's relations with the United States, Latin America, Russia, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, this book will be invaluable for courses on contemporary Cuban politics.
This book describes and analyzes the economic and administrative structure as well as the ideological background of the Old Babylonian state during the rule of the First Dynasty (1894-1595 BC). The study of these issues is based on the analysis of written sources of various types, mainly of royal inscriptions, economic and administrative documents, legal records (contracts, court procedures as well as law codes and royal edicts), letters and year names. The book focuses on the activities that the Old Babylonian state performed in the field of economy, administration, politics and ideology. Primarily, the book brings an analysis of the political and economic role of the Old Babylonian state and it pays attention to the various levels of activities of the king himself as well as the state administration. The author delimits the fields of competences of various state officials as well as reconstructs mutual relations among persons on various levels of the state administration. As the Old Babylonian state maintained close relations also to other economic and administrative subjects (such as temples and private persons), the book also reconstructs the relations between the state and those subjects.
At a time when many regions of the world, including Europe, see a resurgence of authoritarianism, three countries of Eastern Europe - Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova - are struggling to counter this trend with the aim of developing European-style democracies in the framework of their Association Agreements with the European Union. This book offers an in-depth analysis of this challenge, with expert contributions on the workings of these countries' democratic and judicial institutions, their anti-corruption policies and the hazards they must overcome, including the strong presence of oligarchs. Other themes include how these countries are adapting to their precarious geo-political positioning between the EU and Russia and how the quality of their political and economic governance compares with the Balkan states. The book complements three landmark Handbooks (now in their 2nd edition and also published by Rowman & Littlefield International) explaining the progress achieved in implementing the comprehensive Association Agreements that each of these countries has entered into with the EU. The struggle to advance good democratic governance in these close neighbours of the EU represents a test case of the highest strategic significance for both the EU and the three states themselves. For the most part, the jury is still out over its outcome.
"Fifteen years after Toyota announced it would build a manufacturing plant in the heart of the Bluegrass, Kentucky crafts are being used to help sell Camrys at car dealerships in Japan and sushi and Japanese condiments are widely stocked on grocery shelves in a number of cities across Kentucky. In early 2000, the state boasted more than 100 Japanese companies representing a total investment of more than seven billion dollars, employing more than 33,000 Kentuckians. Japan in the Bluegrass is the first book to focus on the regional and local impact of the globalization of Japanese businesses, particularly Toyota, in the United States. Fourteen American and Japanese contributors include geographers, political scientists, sociologists, and an economist, urban planner, and environmental scientist, and their essays go beyond the traditional exploration of politics and economics to examine the social, cultural, and environmental effects of Japanese investment in Kentucky. The authors examine the factors that brought these companies to this part of the United States, which range from a well-developed system of highways to cooperation from state and local governments to hefty incentive packages. They discuss the significant influence of Toyota and its suppliers on local communities in Kentucky as well as in Toyota City, Japan. Essays also cover the social and cultural shifts that have resulted from Japanese investment, including educational activities in public schools, the relationship between business and local media, and the integration of Japanese managers and their families into Kentucky communities.
Greek-Turkish relations, despite some detente periods in their shared history, have been generally characterized by hostility and antagonism. But a significant breakthrough in Greek-Turkish relations was achieved in 1999, although certain signs of rapprochement were already present in the pre-1999 period. This date initiated a new era between the two countries thanks to a series of important events, such as the Helsinki summit, the earthquakes that occurred in 1999 in Turkey and in Greece, and the common initiatives of the Greek and Turkish Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Since then, bilateral relations have changed direction toward the positive. In order to better understand contemporary Greek-Turkish relations, this book covers a number of different aspects including the current state of minorities, the development of the contemporary Turkish national discourse, the narratives of friendship between the two nations, the influence of electronic media for the reconciliation process, and the role of civil actors for changing the perception of the "other." In a period where Greece is struggling to overcome its chronic financial problems and Turkey is being shaped by major political events, the relations between the two countries become highly important, especially in addition to their geographical position near a destabilized geopolitical region. This book is addressed to anyone who is interested in understanding the relations between Greece and Turkey today and in forecasting their future relations-and, by consequence, the future of the eastern Mediterranean area.
Dual Legacies in the Contemporary Caribbean (1986) is a comparative and systematic study of the legacies bequeathed by British and French colonial rule in the Caribbean. It examines in detail what are self-evidently among the more tangible legacies from the era of slavery presently manifest in the region: the pattern, structure and decline of the sugar economy in the French and Commonwealth Caribbean; the continuing influence of Britain in the pre- and post-independence political systems of the Commonwealth Caribbean, as well as of France over its Caribbean possessions; and the retention and adaptation of cultural forms derived from colonial practice as variously exhibited in the educational and ideological beliefs current within the region. These essays offer provocative insights and report intriguing parallels between the British and French experiences in the region. They also offer new interpretations of the processes at work in the area and confirm the utility of the comparative approach in appraising its problems.
Perspectives on Imperialism and Decolonization (1984) is a key collection of essays that analyse from many sides the growth and demise of Western imperialism. They examine imperial history, the experience of imperialism, and offer new thoughts on British decolonization.
This work engages in a constructive, yet subtle, dialogue with the nuanced accounts of sensory intentionality and empirical knowledge offered by the Islamic philosopher Avicenna. This discourse has two main objectives: (1) providing an interpretation of Avicenna's epistemology that avoids reading him as a precursor to British empiricists or as a full-fledged emanatist and (2) bringing light to the importance of Avicenna's account of experience to relevant contemporary Anglo-American discussions in epistemology and metaphysics. These two objectives are interconnected. Anglo-American philosophy provides the framework for a novel reading of Avicenna on knowledge and reality, and the latter, in turn, contributes to adjusting some aspects of the former. Advancing the Avicennian perspective on contemporary analytic discourse, this volume is a key resource for researchers and students interested in comparative and analytic epistemology and metaphysics as well as Islamic philosophy.
At a time of great global uncertainty and instability, communities face fracturing from the increasing influence of extremist movements hostile to democratic and multicultural norms. Europe and the West have grown increasingly polarised in recent years, beset with financial crises, political instability, the rise of malicious actors and irregular violence, and new forms of media and social media. These factors have enabled the spread of new forms of extremism and suggest a growing need for a response sensitive to inequalities and divisions in wider society - a task made even more urgent by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Routledge Handbook of Violent Extremism and Resilience brings together research conducted throughout Europe and the world, to analyse various articulations of violent extremism and consider the impact that such groups and networks have had on the wellbeing of communities and societies. It examines different theories, factors and national case studies of extremism, polarisation and societal fragmentation, drilling deep into national examples to map trends across Europe, North America and Australasia, to provide regional and state-level comparative analysis. It also offers a thorough exploration of resilience - a recent addition to counter-extremism policy and practice - to consider how it has come to play this increasingly central role in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE), the limitations and opportunities of such approaches, and how it could be shared, developed, problematised and deployed in response to violence and polarisation. The Handbook details new trends in both violent extremism and counter-extremism response, within this increasingly fractured global context. It critically explores the latest theories of community violence, extremism, polarisation and resilience, mapping them across case study countries. In doing so, it presents new findings for students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers seeking to understand these new patterns of polarisation and extremism and develop community-driven responses.
The US Hispanic segment represents the most prominent demographic growth in the country, and a huge and untapped business opportunity for companies willing to move away from preconceived notions and market effectively to Hispanic customers. This book shows you how. Now more than ever, corporations operating in the US should see the Hispanic population at the core of their existing and future strategies, but many leaders believe Hispanic marketing is the same marketing you run for Anglos but translated into Spanish, or that all Hispanics are undocumented immigrants with no purchasing power, or that using Mariachis in their communications is the way to connect with this diverse segment. It's time for a modern approach, and in this book, Isaac Mizrahi, one of the country's leading voices in multicultural marketing, uses his unique experience as a corporate executive, agency CEO, and industry leader to help businesses grow by leveraging the booming Hispanic consumer segment to drive sales. Filled with straightforward talk, illustrative case studies, and pragmatic suggestions and recommendations, this book counterbalances academic books on the topic with little connection to day-to-day reality and other books with a more political standpoint. This is a business book created by a marketer for other marketers and business leaders looking to succeed in the US.
British India's Relations with the Kingdom of Nepal (1970) uses original documents and confidential papers never before available to examine the relations between Nepal and British India from 1857 to 1947. Though relations between the two countries were generally friendly, they occasionally clashed when Nepal felt that its independence and indigenous way of life was threatened. Although Nepal customarily followed policies which appeared to be harmonious with those of Great Britain, Professor Husain shows that its policies were usually based on self-interest and, contrary to traditional thinking, Nepal was a nation largely independent of British control. |
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