Challenges to the Welfare State examines and assesses cultural, economic and political problems facing welfare states in Europe and North America and provides policy suggestions to alleviate these problems. An important group of authors identifies the relative merits of welfare state systems in the United States and Europe. They consider the transition of the welfare state in former Communist countries to more market oriented systems and the status of the European welfare state in the context of deepening European integration. More specifically, these experts address the question of whether further integration in Europe will result in an environment where all citizens are guaranteed only certain basic social rights and are encouraged to take private financial responsibility for health care, pension provision and insurance. The nature of social insurance institutions, the problems of ageing populations and the backlash against increasing taxation are also considered. The authors conclude that the reduction of existing government debt in the context of the move towards European Monetary Union will require either considerable increases in taxation or a significant reduction in entitlements. This book will be required reading for scholars and students of economics, social and public politics, politics and public administration.

How can we transform society in a way that unleashes its positive, creative potentials, instead of its violent, destructive ones? Unlearn shows how we can tackle today’s systemic crisis by acknowledging its deep roots. By going on a journey of unlearning, as individuals and collectively, we have the potential to become someone else – a process that redefines how we see ourselves, and thus reshapes our common future. Hanno Burmester works at the intersection of societal, organisational and individual transformation. With his company Unlearn, he helps companies transform towards cultures of self-organisation. As Policy Fellow at the Berlin-based think tank Das Progressive Zentrum, Hanno designs, writes and facilitates around the future of democracy. Hanno is host of the Unlearning Journey. You can learn more about his work at unlearn-book.com. hannoburmester.com

First published in 1955 France: The Fourth Republic is the first book to provide an account of the working constitution of the Fourth French Republic. It summarises the innovations introduced by the 1946 constitution, comments on its working and on the revisions, describes how the French Parliament functions, the organisation of local government, and the new constitutional provisions governing the relations between France and her overseas territories. It also describes the outlook and organisation of the political parties and trade unions. It attempts to capture the institutional background to French politics, post war problems, fundamental characteristics of French political life, permanent attitudes of French politicians, and shifting moods of public opinion. This is an essential read for students and scholars of French politics, political history, European politics, and international relations.

* Designed for students of public administration at every level who need to know and understand how technology can be applied in today's public management workplace * Explores the latest trends in public management, policy, and technology and focuses on best practices on governance issues. * Provides real-life examples about the need for policies and procedures to safeguard our technology infrastructure while providing greater openness, participation, and transparency * Contains all new material on blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, the latest developments in cybersecurity (including ransomware), big and visualized data, and the spread of misinformation * Includes a website maintained by the authors that contains YouTube Videos, PowerPoint presentations, sample quizzes, and group assignments for instructors to consider.

Originally published in 1966, this book takes a look at the ancient and traditional, as well as more recent procedures in parliament for controlling finance. It questions outdated procedures and also examines the tendency of the party leaders to restrict control and even debate of financial matters in the House of Commons.

This book provides a practice-based analysis of European Union (EU) diplomacy and community-building. Unlike studies focusing on how EU community-building proceeds centrally in Brussels, this book turns to EU diplomacy in its bordering state of Ukraine. At a time when the EU's internal cohesion is being put to the test, this book provides novel insights into how feelings of belonging are produced amongst its members in the absence of a homogenous 'we'. Transcending the traditional dichotomy between macro-structures and micro-processes of interaction, the book demonstrates that the EU's large-scale community depends for its existence on practical instantiations of community-building in distinct 'communities of practice'. Using the case of an EU diplomatic 'community of practice' in Kyiv, Ukraine, takes these questions to the EU's margins, highlighting that the boundaries of community are key sites in which community materialises. The in-depth case study identifies diplomats' 'boundary work' as the constitutive rule that makes the local 'community of practice' cohere and create feelings of belonging to the large-scale polity of the EU. This book will be of interest to researchers of European studies, as well as to those working on global cooperation and international relations more broadly.

How do states respond to minority nations' demands? Are state nationalism and majority nationalism the same? This book brings together the leading lights in nationalism studies to turn their attention to the neglected role of the state in nationalist disputes. The aspirations of state and majority nationalists often conflict with the aspirations of substate nationalist movements, leading to disputes over resources, symbolic recognition, and the structure of the state. State elites are then forced to supply arguments defending the political union and to articulate strategies for its continuation. In the process, they make explicit what being 'national' means and the symbolic repertoires for doing so. With case studies from China, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, and Nepal, this edited volume examines state and majority nationalism in all its guises, asking how states respond to nationalist challenges from below. It is particularly timely at a moment when territorial and secessionist crises are reshaping politics. State and Majority Nationalism in Plurinational States will be relevant reading for students and researchers of comparative politics and international relations, including those with a deep interest in territorial politics, national identities, group rights, and representation. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Nationalism and Ethnic Politics.

This book considers the process of legal modernization in Russia from the development of the mechanism of complaints addressed to the authorities from the pre-revolutionary period to today. It analyzes wide-ranging data and sources, collected over 17 years, such as legislation, in-depth interviews, archival materials, original texts, and examples of different methods of complaints in Soviet and contemporary Russia. Being marginal to the legal system and almost invisible for researchers of legal development, the complaint mechanism has functioned as an extremely important way of restoring justice, available to the majority of people in Russia for centuries. It has survived several historical gaps and, in a sense, acts as a thread that stitches together different eras, coexisting with the establishment and modernization of legal institutions, compensating, accompanying, and sometimes substituting for them. The research covers a period of over 100 years, and shows how and why at major historical crossroads, Russia chooses between full-fledged legal modernization and saving the authoritarian social contract between the state and society. This book will be especially useful to scholars researching Soviet society and Post-Soviet transformations, socio-legal studies, and liberal legal reforms, but will also appeal to those working in the broader fields of Russian politics, the history of Soviet society and justice issues more generally.

This book explores the relationship between populism or populist regimes and constitutional interpretation used in those regimes. The volume discusses the question of whether contemporary populist governments and movements have developed, or encouraged new and specific constitutional theories, doctrines and methods of interpretation, or whether their constitutional and other high courts continue to use the old, traditional interpretative tools in constitutional adjudication. The book is divided into four parts. Part I contains three chapters elaborating the theoretical basis for the discussion. Part II examines the topic from a comparative perspective, representing those European countries where populism is most prevalent, including Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Part III extends the focus to the United States, reflecting how American jurisprudence and academia have produced the most important contributions to the theory of constitutional interpretation, and how recent political developments in that country might challenge the traditional understanding of judicial review. This section also includes a general overview on Latin America, where there are also some populist governments and strong populist movements. Finally, the editors' closing study analyses the outcomes of the comparative research, summarizing the conclusions of the book. Written by renowned national constitutional scholars, the book will be essential reading for students, academics and researchers working in Constitutional Law and Politics.

Placing contemporary technological developments in their historical context, this book argues for the importance of law in their regulation. Technological developments are focused upon overcoming physical and human constraints. There are no normative constraints inherent in the quest for ongoing and future technological development. In contrast, law proffers an essential normative constraint. Just because we can do something, does not mean that we should. Through the application of critical legal theory and jurisprudence to pro-actively engage with technology, this book demonstrates why legal thinking should be prioritised in emerging technological futures. This book articulates classic skills and values such as ethics and justice to ensure that future and ongoing legal engagements with socio-technological developments are tempered by legal normative constraints. Encouraging them to foreground questions of justice and critique when thinking about law and technology, the book addresses law students and teachers, lawyers and critical thinkers concerned with the proliferation of technology in our lives.

For decades, liberal democracy has been extolled as the best system of governance to have emerged out of the long experience of history. Today, such a confident assertion is far from self-evident. Democracy, in crisis across the West, must prove itself. In the West today, the authors argue, we no longer live in "industrial democracies," but "consumer democracies" in which the governing ethos has ended up drowning households and governments in debt and resulted in paralyzing partisanship. In contrast, the long-term focus of the decisive and unified leadership of China is boldly moving its nation into the future. But China also faces challenges arising from its meteoric rise. Its burgeoning middle class will increasingly demand more participation, accountability of government, curbing corruption and the rule of law. As the 21st Century unfolds, both of these core systems of the global order must contend with the same reality: a genuinely multi-polar world where no single power dominates and in which societies themselves are becoming increasingly diverse. The authors argue that a new system of "intelligent governance" is required to meet these new challenges. To cope, the authors argue that both East and West can benefit by adapting each other s best practices. Examining this in relation to widely varying political and cultural contexts, the authors quip that while China must lighten up, the US must tighten up. This highly timely volume is both a conceptual and practical guide of impressive scope to the challenges of good governance as the world continues to undergo profound transformation in the coming decades.

Few terms are so widely used in the literature of international relations and political science, with so little agreement about their exact meaning, as hegemony. In the first full historical study of its fortunes as a concept, Perry Anderson traces its emergence in Ancient Greece and its rediscovery during the upheavals of 1848-1849 in Germany. He then follows its checkered career in revolutionary Russia, fascist Italy, Cold War America, Gaullist France, Thatcher's Britain, post-colonial India, feudal Japan, Maoist China, eventually arriving at twenty-first-century US geopolitics and Germany's place within an expanded European Union. The result is a surprising and fascinating expedition into global intellectual history.

Originally published in 1980, this book examines the 'self-government' constitution, administrative and party system of The Ciskei which was one of the black 'homelands' created by the government of the Republic of South Africa in its pursuit of 'separate development'. (It has since been reintegrated into South Africa, becoming part of the Eastern Cape Province). The book discusses how, because poverty was endemic and agricultural resources poorly developed the region was dependent on the encapsulating white area for jobs, capital, entrepreneurial skills and markets. It examines how the existence of job opportunities in contiguous white areas has stimulated the growth of black towns, it has also inhibited their development. The book considers the role of the mass media played, illustrating how both traditional oral forms and contemporary mass media depended ultimately on white input and were thus oriented towards white rather than black politics.

In this innovative book, Hideko Magara brings together an expert team to explore both the possibilities and difficulties of transitioning from a neoliberal policy regime to an alternative regime through drastic policy innovations. The authors argue that, for more than two decades, citizens in developed countries have witnessed massive job losses, lowered wages, slow economic growth and widening inequality under a neoliberal policy regime that has placed heavy constraints on policy choices.The book explores, both theoretically and empirically, the possibility of transition to a new political economic paradigm by seeking feasible answers to questions such as: why has such a regime persisted for a long period of time despite its poor policy performance?; is it possible for democracy to overcome economic crisis through its electoral mechanisms?; and, under what conditions can each government convert crisis of its economy into growth? The book concludes that under different policy regimes, whether Keynesian or neoliberal, there are a variety of growth regimes, and economic performances will consequently vary considerably. The authors ultimately argue that policy innovations need not only political leadership but also the very creation of a new economic theory in order to break a critical juncture of economic stalemates. Economic Crises and Policy Regimes will appeal to policy makers and practitioners internationally and is an important resource for political scientists, economists and sociologists. Advanced students of comparative politics, comparative political economy and institutional economics will also find much to benefit them in this book. Contributors include: B. Amable, R. Boyer, L.C. Bresser-Pereira, N. Fujita, K. Fukuda, M. Ido, H.B. Im, H. Magara, A. Martinelli, H. Nishi, S. Palombarini, A. Przeworski, S. Sacchi, H. Shiratori, T. Yamada, Y. Yanai

What makes your heart break for our broken world? You want to make a difference in the world. You're concerned about all the problems you see, the injustices and the suffering. But you don't know where to begin. Designed for the aspiring activist or world-changer, this book is the key to get you started. Live Action founder Lila Rose says transformation begins with heartbreak-with seeing the injustices around you and allowing that suffering to light a fire in your soul. In this book, she shares raw and intimate stories from both her personal journey and pro-life activism that will inspire you to become a champion for your own cause. Along the way, you'll discover how to determine where the need for your gifts is the greatest and begin making a difference; overcome insecurities and imposter syndrome and become a leader through practice; find inner courage and confidence in the face of obstacles and criticism; and bounce back from mistakes to continually grow and make a long-lasting impact. The fight for a world that is more just, more beautiful, and more loving needs all of us. In allowing yourself to be wounded by the brokenness of our world, you'll find the passion you need to make a difference-and draw closer to the One who truly saves.

Boasts an impressive author list from multiple disciplinary and geographical backgrounds. Explores a wide range of issues, including economic growth, youth employment, gender, regulatory frameworks, business environments, entrepreneurship, and interest-driven power politics. Adds much-needed perspectives to the debates that shape both Europe's and Africa's digital transformation and innovation environments.

Digital space offers new avenues, opportunities, and platforms in the fight for gender equality, and for the social, economic, and political participation of women and marginalised communities. However, the very same space plays host to gender inequalities and security threats with gendered implications. This edited volume ventures into complexities at the intersection of gender, security, and digital space, with a particular focus on the persistent problems of access, harassment, and disinformation. Scholars and practitioners in this volume tackle various facets of the issue, presenting an array of research, experiences, and case studies that span the globe. This knowledge lends itself to potential policy considerations in tackling inequalities and threats with gendered implications in cyber space towards digital spaces that are safe and equal. This book is a must-read for students, scholars, and practitioners seeking to expand their knowledge on the gendered threats in digital space and potential remedies against them.

Presidentialism and Democracy in East and Southeast Asia examines the impact of presidential systems on democracies by examining three distinct literatures - the perilousness of competing legitimacies of the executive and legislative branches, issues of institutional design (particularly regarding semi-presidentialism), and the rise of executive aggrandizement. Despite often intense political conflict and temporary instability in the East and Southeast Asia, presidential systems of various types - from relatively "pure" forms to semi-presidentialism and other hybrids - have largely been resilient. Although there are signs of growing autocratization in several cases, presidentialism, associated with both accommodation and conflict, has usually not driven it. This book's contributions to presidentialism debates will be of interests to students and scholars of comparative politics while it also offers detailed analysis of the presidency in these East and Southeast Asian cases.

This book explores to what extent China has drawn lessons from Singapore, both in terms of its ruling ideology and through the policy-specific learning process. In so doing, it provides insights into the opportunities but also the challenges of this long-term learning process, focusing attention to how non-democratic regimes deal with modernization. The stellar line-up of international contributors, from China, Singapore, Europe, and the US, offer a variety of perspectives on Singapore as a model of "authoritarian modernism" for China. The book discusses how the small Southeast Asian city-state became a major reference point for China, how mainland observers often misunderstood the nature of Singapore's governance and instrumentalized it to bolster the CCP's legitimacy, and why the Singapore model appears to be in decline under Xi Jinping. The chapters also analyze policy-specific learning processes, including bilateral mechanisms of policy exchange, the Chinese "mayor's class" in Singapore, and joint industrial projects and lessons in social welfare provision. The book will be of interest to academics working on Chinese politics; development in China; state society and economy in the Asia-Pacific; international relations in the Asia-Pacific; and Southeast Asian politics.

This book analyses efforts of Bangladeshi government and NGOs to strengthen local governance, and identifies the challenges posed by collaboration with NGOs. Presenting a dominantly qualitative study, the analysis explores whether engagement between the Sharique project to strengthen local governance and the Union Parishads has translated into success. In doing so, it argues that evidence points to a positive impact on institutionalising good governance and fiscal autonomy through widening participation in planning and decision-making, reinforcing accountability of functionaries and enhancing tax collection. Furthermore, this book demonstrates that the collaboration has aided the process of development of social capital between officials of councils and NGOs, as well as amongst the community members, encouraging future partnership governance. However, with the phasing out of the project as a propelling force, it also shows that the results fall short of being sustainable and, as such, that statuary support, unequivocal political commitment, and incentivising engagements are required to stabilise outcomes. Bridging a gap in the Development Studies literature, this book presents new findings on the collaboration of NGOs at the local level. It will be of interest to academics working in the field of South Asian Studies, Development Studies, and Asian Politics.

Employing a multiscalar approach to migration outcomes, spanning individual households, local communities, the macroeconomy and global patterns of capital accumulation, this book demonstrates how cumulatively causal processes at structural, institutional and agency levels have forged a precariously remittance-dependent economy in Sri Lanka. This book combines historical-structural analysis with qualitative research to contend that remittance inflows have reinforced patterns of uneven development in Sri Lanka. At the heart of this argument is a bold critique of remittance capital that inverts the migration-development nexus which has come to dominate international policymaking, with implications for Sri Lanka and other 'remittance economies' throughout the Global South. The author contends that temporary labour migration from Sri Lanka is a process of 'migration-underdevelopment', in which remittance inflows - ubiquitously considered a key source of capital for developing economies - are reinforcing of uneven development at multiple scales and produce unsustainable development outcomes. Offering a uniquely systematic critique of remittances as a source of developmental capital for countries of origin, such as Sri Lanka, this book will be of interest to academics in the field of development studies, migration studies and Asian studies.

Digital space offers new avenues, opportunities, and platforms in the fight for gender equality, and for the social, economic, and political participation of women and marginalised communities. However, the very same space plays host to gender inequalities and security threats with gendered implications. This edited volume ventures into complexities at the intersection of gender, security, and digital space, with a particular focus on the persistent problems of access, harassment, and disinformation. Scholars and practitioners in this volume tackle various facets of the issue, presenting an array of research, experiences, and case studies that span the globe. This knowledge lends itself to potential policy considerations in tackling inequalities and threats with gendered implications in cyber space towards digital spaces that are safe and equal. This book is a must-read for students, scholars, and practitioners seeking to expand their knowledge on the gendered threats in digital space and potential remedies against them.

By analysing the roles and problems faced by international regimes as major players in global health governance, this book looks into the root causes of the often insufficient supply of global public goods for health and of the deficiencies in current global health governance. Combining several different methods of analysis and methodologies, this book sketches out the landscape of international public health governance involving a range of international actors. These include the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, the Biological Weapons Convention and international human rights regimes. Through a novel theoretical framework that synthesises the theory of securitisation, public goods and international regimes, the author then focuses on factors that have resulted in observed deficiencies in global health governance. Based on these examinations, the book also tries to explore feasible approaches for institutional refinement and innovations for greater effectiveness in global health governance. The book will appeal to academics and policy makers interested in global health, international relations and international law.

Data has emerged as a key component that determines how interactions across the world are structured, mediated and represented. This book examines these new data publics and the areas in which they become operative, via analysis of politics, geographies, environments and social media platforms. By claiming to offer a mechanism to translate every conceivable occurrence into an abstract code that can be endlessly manipulated, digitally processed data has caused conventional reference systems which hinge on our ability to mark points of origin, to rapidly implode. Authors from a range of disciplines provide insights into such a political economy of data capitalism; the political possibilities of techno-logics beyond data appropriation and data refusal; questions of visual, spatial and geographical organization; emergent ways of life and the environments that sustain them; and the current challenges of data publics, which is explored via case studies of three of the most influential platforms in the social media economy today: Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. Data Publics will be of great interest to academics and students in the fields of computer science, philosophy, sociology, media and communication studies, architecture, visual culture, art and design, and urban and cultural studies.

Distance, in its traditional sense, connotates "estrangement" and "division". But in the context of modern political studies, it means a controllable resource that can be manipulated to change the relationship between the government and the public. Drawing on this concept from Western political science, the author explores the law and mechanisms of China's political communication. In this volume, the author introduces a creative theoretical framework of distance, which is a dynamic system comprised of physical and psychological distance, ideal distance and real distance, and natural distance and consequent distance. Psychological distance is the core, because it signifies not only whether there is trust between a government and the public, but also whether the political community can maintain a high degree of harmony, stability, unity, and vitality. Events in the past five years in China are used as cases to illustrate the point. Students and scholars who are interested in political science and political communication, especially Chinese politics, would find this title a useful reference.