The rationale of most contemporary change scan be traced back to economics; creativity and economics have combined for effecting most changes in the world. The drive for resource optimisation is no different; a welcome by product is environment protection. In the context of the military, economics relates not only to costs but also the prospect of operational gains. Therefore, this book, while exhorting the military hierarchy to realise their potential as environmental leaders, has demonstrated how resource optimisation is conducive for increasing operational effectiveness. While the military organisations are in focus here, the lessons of resource optimisation covered in the book are easily applied to any large industry set-up. It is the race to control natural resources that would define global hot spots of the future. The country that reduces its dependence on these resources would not expose its flank to the adversary. Reducing consumption levels is also desirable for preventing environmental degradation. This convergence of interests is a win-win situation that only requires a will and innovative approach towards organisational functioning, from procurement, technology transfers, energy consumption, training, etc., to auditing the implementation of the optimisation process. These aspects have been explained in the book mostly with case studies to make it interesting even for the environment sceptics. It is hoped that this book would provide ideas to readers on ways of conserving resources in their daily lives - at home and at work. The importance of publicising organisational efforts in the social domain finds special mention as this does not yet seem to be in the ethos of the Indian military. The overarching connect between social and military matters is implicit in contemporary society. This book would, thus, appeal equally to the military and the corporate leaders.

The hidden federal features of the European Union help explain the challenges of legitimacy, democracy and freedom that face an unfinished political community. Ideas about federalism and the reality of existing federal states cannot be sharply divided in an analysis of the EU's multilevel political order, but so far, both scholars and major decision makers have shown interest only in the normal functioning of federal systems: ignoring the dilemma of the federation's legitimate authority has resulted in an existential crisis for the EU which has become ever more manifest over recent years. This book employs a combination of political philosophy and political science, of federal philosophic ideas and their traces in real federal institutions, in order to achieve the task of understanding the federal features of the EU governance system. The first part of the work focuses on building an appropriate theoretical framework to explain the new meanings attached to familiar notions of democracy, legitimacy and citizenship in the context of a political community like the EU. In the second part the federal features of the EU's political system are examined in comparison to other current and historical federal perspectives like the US, Switzerland, Yugoslavia and Germany. Through an analysis of the hidden federal aspects of the EU and the links between hidden federalism and the EU's legitimacy crisis, this book reveals the patterns that should be avoided and gives us guidelines that should be followed if the EU is to become democratic and politically united without jeopardising the state character of its members.

Explores the need for political science to pay more attention to complex interactions involving politically relevant groups. Distinguished contributors report on data from around the world and at different levels of political decision making - from 'below the radar' in local communities to global negations at the World Trade Organization.

In January 2014, for the first time in the history of federal farm legislation going back to the Great Depression, all four members of the US House of Representatives from Kansas voted against the Farm Bill, despite pleas by the states agricultural leaders to support it. Why? The story of the Agricultural Act of 2014, as it unfolds in Framing the Farm Bill, has much to tell us about the complex nature of farm legislation, food policy, and partisan politics in present-day America. Framing the Farm Bill is an enlightening look at federal agricultural policy-its workings, its history, and its present state-as well as the effect federal legislation has on farming practices, the environment, and our diet, in a thoroughly readable primer on the politics of food in America.

The book examines the evolving nature of national and international security in the post-Cold War era, focusing on non-military threat potentials and how these may best countered. Six specific issues are discussed: terrorism, the heroin and cocaine trade, privacy, environmental degradation, the spread of disease, and uncontrolled migration. The book concludes that greater national coordination, inter-agency cooperation, and international collaboration is needed if these problems are going to be dealt with effectively.

A powerful and succinct reminder of the way in which the 'corporate property rights structure' has come to dominate American society and politics. . . . Brings out the connections among law, politics, and economics. Howard J. Vogel Hamline University School of Law This provocative overview of fundamental principles in American law points out how the law is administered unfairly and how wrongly it is conceived if it is to meet basic needs in our society today. Gerald Houseman examines legal education and practice, and law relating to business, government, labor, and elections. He dissects different theories and shows certain possibilities for reform. This summary of basic concerns about law and society today is easy reading and a good text for students of law, business, government, and economics. The first part of the book deals with forces retarding change in American policy; the second questions the corporate-property power establishment; and the third questions law and economic approaches. This scrutiny of assumptions, different approaches, and conclusions is followed by proposals for fundamental reforms.

What can black leaders offer African Americans who lack worthy values and are often willfully illiterate? This book places an emphasis on empowerment rather than despair.

This study examines contemporary questions surrounding the process by which the U.S. Constitution can be amended. Beginning with a description of the mechanism and history of the constitutional amending process in America, the work considers five major questions surrounding the amending process. The question of justiciability: whether the courts should have authority to settle amending issues or whether they are political questions beyond the court's purview. The question of standards: what standards of review should be used. The question of safety: the safety of invoking the constitutional convention mechanism. The question of exclusivity: whether there are legal means of changing the Constitution short of Article V. And the question of limitations: whether there are any unstated constitutional limits on the amending process.

The primary objective of this book is to understand the nature of the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria. Boko Haram's goal of an Islamic Caliphate, starting in the Borno State in the North East that will eventually cover the areas of the former Kanem-Borno Empire, is a rejection of the modern state system forced on it by the West. The central theme of this volume examines the relationship between the failure of the state-building project in Nigeria and the outbreak and nature of insurgency. At the heart of the Boko Haram phenomenon is a country racked with cleavages, making it hard for Nigeria to cohere as a modern state. Part I introduces this theme and places the Boko Haram insurgency in a historical context. There are, however, multiple cleavages in Nigeria ethnic, regional, cultural, and religious and Part II examines the different state-society dynamics fuelling the conflict. Political grievances are common to every society; however, what gives Boko Haram the space to express such grievances through violence? Importantly, this volume demonstrates that the insurgency is, in fact, a reflection of the hollowness within Nigeria's overall security. Part III looks at the responses to Boko Haram by Nigeria, neighbouring states, and external actors. For Western actors, Boko Haram is seen as part of the "global war on terror" and the fact that it has pledged allegiance to ISIS encourages this framing. However, as the chapters here discuss, this is an over-simplification of Boko Haram and the West needs to address the multiple dimension of Boko Haram. This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism and political violence, insurgencies, African politics, war and conflict studies, and IR in general.

This volume contains the most significant and still timely articles on urban economics, metropolitan and regional planning, real-estate economics and housing written by the noted urban economist Anthony Downs over the past four decades. The book has a new autobiographical introduction outlining Downs's extensive experience as a real estate and urban affairs consultant and policy analyst for hundreds of private firms and government bodies since 1959. The articles in this book set forth fundamental policy analyses concerning all of the major elements of urban policy. Written in Downs's exceptionally clear and compelling style they focus on the space-related dimensions of urban affairs, ranging from traffic congestion to telecommunications, education, and housing, with additional analyses of key aspects of real estate finance. Together, these essays form a veritable handbook of how to conduct urban policy analysis in many fields. The analysis and conclusions are directly relevant to the urban problems which are intensifying throughout the world today. This important book will be an essential companion to scholars and students of housing, urban planning, transport, regional science and real estate, it will also be useful to policymakers and government officials.

It was a time of civil war and economic shift from an agrarian to an industrial society for the 1,390 speakers of state houses of representatives profiled in this unique biographical dictionary. The political climate and characteristics of the politicians as a group are surveyed in introductory material. This is followed by biographical entries which include a list of sources. The cumulated bibliography, arranged by state, is valuable. . . . There is no other such directory.

"Library Journal"

On the whole it is a useful compilation, providing a starting point for research into the lives of a cross-section of legislators in this period. . . . A necessary purchase for research libraries; recommended to all academic libraries with strong collections in state history. "Choice"

During the years 1850-1910, the United States evolved from an agrarian to an industrial political economy. By the end of the century, industrialization has shifted the entire political system toward national government power, beginning a trend that continues today.

An understanding of the importance of state government and, in particular, of the lower houses of the legislatures at this time is crucial to an understanding of how American politics was transformed in the second half of the nineteenth century. This study compares the speakers of these influential nineteenth-century American political bodies and focuses on the legislative issues of the period. The largest collection of biographical data of its kind to date, the book profiles the 1,390 speakers in the period from 1850 to 1910. The collective career analysis of the individuals covered provides an unprecedented exploration of the socioeconomic issues, the governmental processes, and the political behavior of the times to allow a more thorough understanding of the transition from an agrarian to an industrial state. This comprehensive study of state political power will provide fresh insight into the American legislative system of the latter half of the nineteenth century and will be of special value to scholars of American political history and political science.

Since the Reconstruction period, there have been over forty proposals to rewrite the U.S. Constitution. John Vile's unique historical study analyzes all of these proposals within the framework of the constitutional amending process. In each case Vile examines the substance of the proposal, its goals and methods, the response to the proposal, and its overall influence--concluding that the Constitution in its current form faces no immediate threats. He finds no convincing cases for a new Constitution and believes that most perceived defects can be remedied with less drastic measures. The study illuminates issues of constitutional change, stressing the importance of understanding alternative forms of government and the basis for their support. While immediate change is not likely, constitutional change will ultimately come, and when it does, earlier criticisms and suggestions may help to set the agenda. Proposals for change are critiques which help to identify strengths and weaknesses in the current system. In addition, examinations of past proposals reveal how people view the Constitution during crises. This work will be particularly useful for political scientists, historians, lawyers, and individuals interested in, or involved with, efforts for constitutional change.

Tom Foster is a retired Special Forces Officer and a combat veteran of the war in El Salvador. In Comments from a Tea Partier - I guess if you're not a Communist, you might be a mild Fascist, Tom vents his anger with our current politicians and identifies critical issues that should be the cornerstone of the 2010 elections. He makes a case for specific actions such as the repeal of the 16th Amendment and the passing of Fair Tax to bring prosperity to America. He shows how American foreign policy should be re-focused, offers a criterion for vetting the candidates for November 2010, identifies specific cuts to the federal government, and speculates as to our future if we are not successful in restoring our Republic. America has taken on many of the characteristics of a fascist state, and Tom like all the other Tea Party members fear additional loss of our individual liberty if the American people do not take our nation away from the statists in 2010. He is married to a gal from South Georgia, and has a son and daughter whom are both married and three grandchildren. Tom and his wife Deborah live in Columbus, Georgia with a Fair Tax sign boldly displayed in their front yard. Tom is currently hiking the Appalachian Trail to enjoy the beauty of America and expects to finish in time to help us prevail in November, 2010. De oppresso liber, Tom

This multidisciplinary book examines the diverse ways in which environmental disasters with compounding impacts are being governed as they traverse sovereign territories across rapidly urbanising societies in Asia and the Pacific. Combining theoretical advances with contextually rich studies, the book examines efforts to tackle the complexities of cross-border environmental governance. In an urban age in which disasters are not easily contained within neatly delineated jurisdictions, both in terms of their interconnected causalities and their cascading effects, governance structures and mechanisms are faced with major challenges related to cooperation, collaboration and information sharing. This book helps bridge the gap between theory and practice by offering fresh insights and contrasting explanations for variations in transboundary disaster governance regimes among urbanising populations in the Asia-Pacific.

Most people believe that criminal justice in Colombia is rife with impunity and corruption. Elvira María Restrepo delves beneath such beliefs to reveal a system driven at a fundamental level by fear and distrust from outside the system itself. With the present difficulties in the country tantamount to a state of irregular war, the judiciary is in crisis. It has to contribute to the construction of peace and the reconstruction of trust, or perish.

The 1990s promise to be a period of rapid political change, as old political boundaries dissolve and new political forces emerge. These changes throw into question our understanding of capitalism and socialism, of the character of the nation state and of the relationship between the economy and the state. However, these changes are only the culmination of developments which have been unfolding over the past two decades. The papers collected in this volume were originally written to look behind day-to-day events so as to understand the deeper roots of the crisis of the state in the 1970s. While subsequent developments have brought out the superficiality of many earlier analyses of the capitalist state, they have confirmed the incisiveness and wider relevance of the approach to the state developed in the course of the debates within the Conference of Socialist Economists, on which this volume primarily draws. The book includes a comprehensive introductory survey, which sets the contributions collected here within the context of the wider debate. The book should be of interest to all those concerned with understanding contemporary political developments, as well as providing essential

This work challenges the dominant discourse of neo-liberalism which places NGOs and civil society at the forefront of democratization and development in Africa. Based on nine months field research in Uganda, the study draws on evidence from the successfully liberalizing country and shows how NGO potential for democratization and development has been subverted by state directives, structural conditions and historical conditions, as well as the internal limitiations of NGOs.

The ideal model of national security decision making, whereby the legislative branch authorizes action to protect national security and the executive branch takes it, has broken down due to the speed and unpredictability of foreign crises and the president's monopoly on foreign intelligence. In response, Congress has ceded the initiative to the president, and then utilized the power of the purse to ratify or restrict what the president has done. This power, by necessity and preference, has become the central congressional tool for participating in national security policy. Inevitably attacks on policy are transformed into attacks on the making and effects of appropriations. In National Security Law and the Power of the Purse, William C. Banks and Peter Raven-Hansen offer a compelling discussion of the constitutional and statutory questions raised by these attacks and in the process suggest answers to these recurring questions. They look at the early history of the power of the purse in national security affairs to illustrate that appropriations for national security have historically played a special substantive role in controlling executive uses of the war power. The authors use this history as a basis for exploring the mechanics and scope of the power of the purse in contemporary national security, presenting Vietnam War appropriations and the Boland Amendments as case studies. National Security Law and the Power of the Purse offers a sophisticated and provocative primer on the power of the purse in national security law. It is essential reading for scholars and students of law and government, public administration, and national security and foreign affairs.

By describing and analysing the process which precedes decision-making in the Council of Ministers, an insider's view is presented in this book of the process of decision-making in the European Union. The main subject is the Permanent Representatives Committee, comprising Ambassadors of the Member States to the European Union, the Permanent Representatives. Coreper has the general responsibility for preparing the work of the Council.

The book is based on a legal thesis, which was published in Dutch at the end of 1993. For the English version the text has been revised and, where necessary, updated. The content, which is largely derived from practical experience, should provide a clearer picture of the current state of affairs of European integration in general, and the functioning of the European institutions in particular. To this extent the book serves the political objective of creating transparency in the decision-making of the European Union.

Audience:

All those working in the public services, international organizations, universities, liberal professions and economic life whose everyday work brings them into contact with aspects of the European Union and its institutions.

This is a comparative study of nationalism and nation-building in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland. All are historic nations within larger states. Nationalism is presented as a mechanism for dealing with the place of the territorial society in the new order. It is no longer concerned with the creation of a traditional nation state, but with maximizing autonomy in a world where the nation state has lost its old powers and status.

Gueldry analyzes the substantive transformations brought upon the French state by European integration through an incremental and cumulative process generally described as Europeanization. This restructuring is characterized by the erosion of traditional political and economic parameters, the emergence of new means and models of public action, and a general paradigmatic redefinition, including a search for renewed political legitimacy by French elite.

Covering the period from 1957 to the present, Gueldry examines how regional integration affects French governmental structures, public policies, political processes, and culture. He emphasizes the post-Single European Act (February 1986) period because of the accelerating momentum of the integration process after this milestone treaty. Students, scholars, and policy makers involved with EU history, institutions, and policies will be particularly interested in the work.

The Revolutions of 1989 were a surprise to Kremlinologists because their models of change overestimated the staying power of ruling communist elites; at the same time civil society was able to form alternative political cultures which undermined the legitimacy of the socialist order. The Revolutions were the result of a prolonged systemic crisis of communism, combined with the unwillingness of Gorbachev to use force to maintain the Eastern European rulers in power. Civil society lost its fear of the repressive apparatus of the communist system as the ruling elites became increasingly disunited as to how to best respond to the crisis. After the Revolutions, other surprises were in store as the transition unfolded and the process of democratic consolidation encountered unanticipated obstacles.

Weiner details these issues in one of the most up-to-date examinations of change in East Europe. After reviewing the history of the region and the imposition of communism, he analyzes the collapse of communism and the efforts to create stable alternatives country-by-country. In addition, he examines models of change and the foreign policies of the region. An indispensable guide to the area that will be of value to political scientists and others concerned with contemporary Eastern Europe.

First Published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.