2004 was a year that threw into sharp relief the principal features of the present political conjuncture, that is, one in which the Italian political transition shows few signs of coming to a conclusion. 2004 was, therefore, a year of limited change, one in which reforms were announced but not fully achieved and where the few that were achieved were noteworthy for the compromises that were necessary in order to make them possible at all. It was, too, a year in which there emerged a stalemate between the center-right and center-left coalitions which, pending the regional elections of 2005 and the general election of 2006, took almost equal shares of the vote at the elections for the European Parliament. This volume examines these elections, paying special attention to Forza Italia, the prime minister's party, and the workings of the governing alliance and gives a well-rounded overview over the year's most important developments regarding the government's approach to the European constitution, the new judicial system, and the pensions legislation - the only major reform actually completed during 2004.

Conflict and Accommodation focuses on the political behavior of the 600,000 men in the coal and steel industries, to reveal a fascinating correlation between labor-management conflict and the fortunes of American socialism. Nash presents data from election returns, newspapers, union journals, government reports, and taped interviews with retired coal miners to support the view that the alternation of conflict and accommodation, characteristic of American labor history, has broad political implications.

This study focuses on the regimes that governed Brazil over the twenty-one-year span ending in 1985. The book examines the organization and the record established by the military during that period, with attention also given to the ideologic tendencies and internal divisions within the military elite. It also considers what obstacles the regimes could not overcome, and where that resistance came from in each of the five regimes. The term mission used in the title of the book, is chosen by the author to describe the non-military mission the leaders accepted-- to them a duty-oriented commitment to the people of Brazil in seizing the reins of the government from President Goulart in 1964. The other part of the title,mufti, also relates to what appears unique: each incumbent in the presidency permanently severed his hierarchical control over the armed forces by retirement from active duty, donning civilian clothes and never again appearing in uniform. The first chapter of the book attempts to identify the factors that motivated and unified the Brazilian forces to remove President Goulart, and to retain authority under an unelected president from their own ranks. Chapters that follow explore such themes as the role--so often ascribed as of primary importance--of the ESG as the mentor and initiator of national policymaking under the military regimes, the degree and direction of service and seniority-based divisions due to ideologic beliefs which may have existed in each regime, and the deeper ideologic splits between pro-American moderates and independence-minded authoritarians regarding the nation's needs for industrialization/urbanization and eradication of radical, antiregime insurgencies. Additional chapters take up the five regimes' policies, and the progress made toward national development and industrialization. Finally there is a summarization and postera assessment, aided by the perspective afforded after several years' passage of time. This book should be valuable to researchers and students of Brazilian history and political affairs.

The position of India's princely states is a relatively under-studied aspect of the British withdrawal from India and the early years of Indian and Pakistani independence. Far from playing second fiddle to events in the British Indian provinces, the princely states played an integral role in the transfer of power in 1947. Under the British Raj, the princely states were politically autonomous, and the rulers of each state had to be cajoled and, in some cases, forced to accede to India or Pakistan. The princes' commitment to preserving their sovereignty not only threatened the territorial integrity of both South Asian countries but brought them to the brink of war on multiple occasions. Conquering the maharajas tells the often overlooked history of Princely India through the tumultuous end of empire in South Asia and the early years of Indian and Pakistani independence. -- .

From Diane Abbott to George Young via Keynesianism and Thatcherism, from Major to Millbank and from New Labour to Norman Tebbitt, this book is the ultimate student reference guide to British politics. With over one thousand entries, the book covers the personalities, policies and institutions that have shaped British politics, with special emphasis on developments since the beginning of the twentieth century. This is the ideal instant reference book on British politics, providing readers wiith short, authoritative explanations and definitions of key terms, institutions, offices of state, political events, processes and policies as well as biographies of well known politicians, political thinkers, movements and theorists. Any student unsure of a term, an event, the details of the life of a prominent politician, or the inner workings of an institution can turn to this book for immediate assistance

The theme of this book is the cultural construction in Zhejiang Province under the guidance of "China Dream" policy. It reviews the profound history of traditional culture in Zhejiang, and concludes with the modern practice and achievements by the local government. It reviews policies implemented in Zhejiang for the construction of socialist core values, public cultural services and cultural industry. The methodologies applied in this book mainly are living examples, case studies and policy presentations, as well as interpretations. The book covers several important areas in modern cultural scopes such as media, ideology, history and tradition, public culture construction and culture industrialization where the "China Dream" policy has the most influences. This book presents an interesting view for scholars and policy makers to better understand the important statecraft of China.

How is it that the modest pace of change which typified the French economy a century ago gave way after 1945 to a new, revived capitalism and a superior economic performance? Mairi Maclean argues that the new French capitalism of the 21st century is the product of an ideological struggle in which the forces of modernization triumphed over the old guard of French nationalism.

This pioneering volume advances the thesis that there exists a significant linkage between Black politics and Black political behavior, heretofore treated as separate and distinct areas of study. This is the first work to bring the two together and to support such an approach with empirical studies. Chapter authors explore and analyze basic and fundamental areas of linkage providing a provocative and insightful contribution to the literature of Black politics and political behavior in America. Organized into five main linkage blocks, the work examines: Theoretical linkages between Black politics and Black political behavior; national linkages; state-contextual linkages; procedural linkages; and gender linkages. This volume will be of interest to scholars and students in American politics and political behavior and African-American politics and political behavior.

The first detailed analysis of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) influence on global public sector reform. Based on extensive interviews and internal documents, this book explores the evolution of the OECD's approach to governance issues over the last 50 years and what its future agenda should be.

"Party Politics in Germany" is the only English-language study of its kind and examines the phenomenon of party politics in the Federal Republic through comparison across time and space. It draws upon new data from the 2002 Federal elections and recent Land elections, as well as on a far more explicitly comparative literature than is generally found in single-country studies. The book not only sheds new light on political phenomena in Germany but also allows students of the comparative method to apply some of the key concepts, models and approaches with which they are familiar to the rich context of a single country study.

Can 'theory' teach us anything about Peru? Can 'Peru' teach us anything about theory? The chapters in this volume explore these questions by establishing a productive dialogue between Peru and theory. Focusing on institutional weakness and economic, social, gendered, racialized, and other forms of exclusion key issues in recent social scientific inquiry in Peru - the contributors to this volume assess the extent to which the analytical frameworks of a number of social and cultural theorists can inform, and, at the same time, be informed by, Peru as a case study.

This volume examines and evaluates the impact of international statebuilding interventions on the political economy of post-conflict countries over the past 20 years. Through detailed comparative analysis of key statebuilding policies and case studies, this handbook analyzes how international interventions have shaped political and economic dynamics and structures -- both formal and informal -- and what kind of state, and what kind of state-society relations have been created as a result. The volume aims to offer a more nuanced understanding of the complex impact of statebuilding practices on post-conflict societies, and of the political economy of post-conflict statebuilding. The book systematically examines the impact of statebuilding policies through the analysis of ten statebuilding interventions (ranging from governance conditionalities and assistance to full-fledged international administration), and of three cross-cutting thematic areas: institution-building and representation; economic reform; and the approaches of selected international statebuilding actors (i.e. the UN or the IFIs). Questions examined by the chapters include: * How have statebuilding policies affected the relationship between formal and informal economic and political institutions? * How are international statebuilding policies mediated through local political structures? * How have outside interventions affected the balance between different political groups in a post-conflict country? * To what extent have statebuilding policies led to a change or to the resurfacing of old elites? What policies have contributed to this, and why? This handbook will be of mcuh interest to students of statebuilding, humanitarian intervention, post-conflict reconstruction, political economy, international organisations and IR/Security Studies in general.

This book examines the process of political and social reform that Colombia has experienced in the past decade. As the relationship between the state, the economy and the society are redefined in Latin America, Colombia has also undergone substantial transformations. This story offers a Colombian dimension to the increasing interest in processes of state reform elsewhere. The approach is interdisciplinary and will be of interest to political scientists, economists, sociologists, geographers and historians.

This volume presents the latest research by some of the world's leading figures in the fast growing area of immigration studies. Drawing on the experiences of Western Europe and the United States, it concentrates on two key areas in which nation-states are challenged by recent immigrations: sovereignty and citizenship.

State governments produce a wider range of policies that affect the lives of their citizens than does any other level of government. It is crucial, therefore, that an effective and responsive state government have a strong leader at the helm--the governor. Eric B. Herzik and Brent W. Brown have brought together a collection of essays that provide an in-depth analysis of the factors that influence gubernatorial performance and the roles that governors assume when interacting with the major components of the state policymaking process. The editors have divided the book into three sections. Section one begins with an introduction discussing elements of gubernatorial leadership and the status of governors in the American political system. Chapters one and two examine the nature of the state chief executive's efforts to shape policy and achieve goals. These chapters also summarize much of the literature on the topic of gubernatorial leadership. Section two covers aspects of the governor's transition to office, managerial role, state bureaucracy oversight, legislative interactions, and budget powers. The third section delineates gubernatorial policy efforts in specific areas: economic development, education, the environment, health care, and nuclear waste. As a unique and focused study of the governor in state government, this volume will be of great value to courses in state and local politics, executive politics, and public policy. It will also be useful for state government administrators, political scientists, and the collections of state, academic, and public libraries.

Nearly 20 years after it first became an elected institution, it is time to assess the impact of the European Parliament on the process of European integration. This book does so, beginning with an analysis of what integration theorists expected of the directly elected Parliament when such an idea was still on the drawing board and then examining what the Parliament has achieved in practice. It concludes that the Parliament has been extremely significant, though not always in the ways initially expected.

A complete guide for how small states can be strikingly successful and influential-if they assess their situations and adapt their strategies. Small states are crucial actors in world politics. Yet, they have been relegated to a second tier of International Relations scholarship. In A Small State's Guide to Influence in World Politics, Tom Long shows how small states can identify opportunities and shape effective strategies to achieve their foreign policy goals. To do so, Long puts small states' relationships at the center of his approach. Although small states are defined by their position as materially weaker actors vis-a-vis large states, Long argues that this condition does not condemn them to impotence or irrelevance. Drawing on typological theory, Long builds an explanation of when and how small states might achieve their goals. The book assesses a global range of cases-both successes and failures-and offers a set of tools for scholars and policymakers to understand how varying international conditions shape small states' opportunities for influence.

An examination of the role played by civil society in the legitimization of South Africa's apartheid regime and its racial policy. This book focuses on the interaction of dominant groups within the Dutch Reformed Church and the South African state over the development of race policy within the broader context of state civil society relations. This allows a theoretical examination and typology of the variety of state civil society relations. Additionally, the particular case study demonstrates that civil society's existence in and authoritarian situations can deter the establishment of democracy when components of civil society identify themselves with exclusive, ethnic interests.

The tension between the aim of creating sustainable multilateral region-building dynamics and the need to find more differentiated and flexible forms of cooperation has been ever-present in Euro-Mediterranean relations. The proliferation of different and partially overlapping initiatives in recent years - the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Union for the Mediterranean - is a plain expression of this tension. The 2011 episodes of regime-change in the Arab world have once again placed the debate about differentiation in EU's relations with Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries at the top of the Union's foreign policy agenda. This book contributes to theoretical and practical debates on whether differentiation processes can aid or hinder policy convergence processes and region-building efforts more widely. The contributions to this collection assess the actual significance and consequences of differentiation in Euro-Mediterranean relations through sector-specific in-depth analyses, covering issue areas as varied as environmental policy, migration, foreign and defence policy, trade, energy, civil protection and democracy promotion. The particular angle and comprehensive analysis of this book will make it of great interest for both scholars and policy makers alike in a moment when Euro-Mediterranean are in need of a thorough rethink. This book was based on a special issue of Mediterranean Politics.

This book tells the dramatic story of the unexpected disintegration of the Soviet Union. The author draws on a wide range of sources to illustrate the growth of national awareness among the many subject peoples, partly promoted by the actions of the communists themselves. He concludes that, the efforts of Mikhail Gorbachev to reform the state he initially controlled, undermined and eventually destroyed the mechanisms that held the non-Russians in check.

This book challenges the assumption that policy makers' work with advisory committees is emblematic of technocratic governance. Analyzing how and why the European Commission uses expert groups in the policy process, it shows that experts not only solve technical problems, but also function as political devices and negotiators in modern governance.

This book looks at the main factors which have contributed to the strikingly strong growth of Asian economies in the last twenty-five years. It considers the economic policies adopted to promote such growth, arguing that it will become increasingly difficult to sustain this. The author then examines the inequalities generated by economic growth, before considering the dynamics of the four different types of political system which have evolved in Asia: veiled authoritarianism; market Stalinism; emerging bourgeois democracy and elite democracy.