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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Central government > General
This project pulls together classic and modern readings and essays that explore theories of federalism. Spanning the Seventeenth through Twenty-first-centuries of European, U.S. and Canadian thinkers, this attempts to be a comprehensive reader for students in political theory. The emphasis throughout is on the normative argument, the advantages or disadvantages of federal and confederal arrangements compared to unitary states, and on the relative merits of various proposals to improve particular federations or confederations. These also draw on the full range of political science subfields: from political sociology, political economy and constitutional studies to comparative politics and international relations. There are also readings, both contemporary and historical, that attempt to clarify conceptual issues.
In times of dramatic social, economic and political change, governments around the world are questioning their roles and responsibilities in the public sector. The trend is away from a traditional public-sector market model, but there does not yet exist a universally accepted alternative. The essays offer a comparative analysis of public administration in several OECD countries, including the UK, US, Australia, and Scandinavia, and explores possible future directions.
Managing for Results is a model of organizational reform that utilizes performance indicators, strategic planning, and benchmarks. The model focuses on linking these systems to improve performance and public accountability. This book studies the implementation of Managing for Results on six states identified by the U.S. General Accounting Office as leaders of internal reinvention efforts. Government and business practitioners, as well as scholars and researchers of public administration and policy, will find this book useful in assessment, selection, and measurement of state-level reform efforts.
This book contends that there is a fundamental logic underlying the participation of non-elites in the nationalist enterprise. In order to understand this logic we must cast aside the standard myopia ingrained in most Rational Choice analysis. Those blinders restrict the realm of payoffs to the pursuit of tangible goods and incorrectly assume that all group members -- elites and non-elites alike -- pursue the same payoffs. We cannot understand the true nature of nationalist movements until we take into account that elite and mass strata have different motivations for supporting the same cause. There is an elite calculus and a non-elite strategy simultaneously operating under the aegis of an ethnically defined and supposedly unitary operation.
The contemporary presidency, and the nation it governs, is more dependent on the individual in office than ever before. The Progression of the American Presidency examines in detail the institution of the American presidency from the selection process, to the president's individual responsibilities, to his interactions with other actors in the political arena. Twombly argues that regardless of how well suited a particular individual may be for a specific time in office, he or she will leave an indelible imprint on the office for those who follow. Each successful president changed the institution in which he served by expanding its scope and power and raising the bar of public (and historical) expectations. Both scholarly and conversational, The Progression of the American Presidency is essential reading for anyone interested in the evolving state of the Oval Office.
There is increasing concern over the possible use of biological weapons. If they are used, an attack will manifest as a disease outbreak among humans, animals or plants. It is thus important to be able to distinguish between natural disease outbreaks and the result of such an attack. The bok discusses the scientific and technical means available to investigate this question and then goes on to consider the agents of concern. The book concludes with a look forward to future developments.
Since 1999 when Turkey was declared a candidate country for European Union membership, Turkish nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have found themselves at the heart of the EU pre-accession process. Not only is the development of a vibrant and strong civil society key part of the Europeanization process Turkey is expected to undertake, but NGOs also have an important role in facilitating broader socio-political changes through a range of EU-funded projects. These claims, however, are based on normative assumptions on how Turkish NGOs should behave, rather than on empirical evidence of how they experience and respond to the Europeanization project. This book examines the (dis)connections between EU civil society policy and Turkish NGOs in detail. Through interviews with key actors from the NGO sector, and policymakers from the EU and Turkish government the book draws a picture of a complex and intricate relationship. Turkish NGOs do not passively accept the top-down agenda set by the EU civil society funding framework but often find creative ways to circumvent and resist the EU's objectives.
This is the first comprehensive examination of the changing relations between ministers and civil servants in the UK since 1979. Drawing on evidence compiled from more than 150 interviews, this book provides unprecedented insight into the world of Conservative government. The authors also examine the external pressures exerted by factors such as the European Union, and they conclude by arguing that, despite recent claims about the end of the Whitehall model, many of the old features of the British system remain.
Benoit provides a comprehensive analysis of presidential television spots from every campaign that used this important message form, from the 1952 campaign through the last national campaign in 1996. More than 1,600 presidential spots are analyzed, from both primary and general campaigns. Republican, Democratic, and third party candidate advertisements are analyzed. He uses the Functional Theory of Political Campaign Discourse, analyzing themes in spots as acclaims (self-praise), attacks (criticism), and defenses (responses to attacks). Themes are classified according to topic. Each of these topics is broken down further (policy: past deeds, future plans, general goals; character: personal qualities, leadership ability, ideals). Contrasts are made between spots from Republicans and Democrats as well as third parties, incumbents and challengers, and winners and losers. The spots from candidates who led, trailed, or were in close races also are contrasted. Spots are becoming more negative over time, Benoit concludes, in both primary and general campaigns. General campaigns are more negative than primary campaigns, Democrats are more negative than Republicans, and challengers are more negative than incumbents. There are no differences between winners and losers. However, candidates who trailed throughout the campaign were most negative, while candidates in close races were most positive. An important analysis for scholars and researchers in political communication and American presidential politics.
Scholarly work in many fields has shown the important and changing role played by experts in international and national policymaking. Historical studies have revealed how Soviet scientists figured in politics in unexpected ways. However, no comprehensive study of the interplay between scientific expert knowledge and contemporary Russian policymaking has been carried out. This book argues that in order to understand Russia's position on complex policy challenges, like climate change, we must understand how experts and scientific knowledge factor into Russia's policymaking processes. Russia is still among the world's top five emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG) and its emissions are once again on the rise. Addressing questions of expert knowledge is of key importance to understanding the climate-related policies Russia pursues domestically and the positions it takes in international climate negotiations. This volume presents case studies of media debates, national policymaking and Russia's engagement in the international politics of climate change.
Alexander Hamilton called the judiciary the "least dangerous" branch of government. He was right then but wrong today. Since Hamilton's time the Supreme Court has become a cardinal example of Lord Acton's famous dictum: "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." It is not a corruption of bribes, or even of bad intentions, but of taking upon itself the right to alter the Constitution whenever past principles offend present preferences of five or more Justices. "Corrupted by Power" shows how the Constitution is repeatedly changed to mean whatever the Supreme Court wants it to mean. Precedent is followed only when past decisions support current opinions. Otherwise precedents are overruled, misrepresented or ignored. A conspicuous example is the judicial manufacture of new First Amendment rights, including rights to advocate criminal behavior, publish degrading sex and extreme violence, and advertise vice. Can the Constitution be rescued? Discover what can be done.
This ground-breaking, revisionist collection of essays, based on the most recent research, provides a long-needed reassessment of the legacy of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars upon the governments of Restoration Europe. Traditionally the Restoration has been regarded by historians as a period in which European governments returned to the reactionary policies which prevailed before the upheavals of 1789, and which involved an outright rejection of the reforms of the Napoleonic era. In this book, leading historians challenge this interpretation and emphasize the sometimes surprising loyalty shown to Napoleonic policies of modernization by Restoration governments.The problems of dealing with new ideologies, accommodating the interests of old elites, and keeping the benefits of recent reforms were broadly similar across Europe, and provide a connecting theme throughout the volume. However, the nature of governmental response was never uniform. The essays explore these varieties of response, both through detailed case studies and more general surveys, and address issues such as policing and censorship, revolutionary symbolism, elite formation and bureaucratic structures in France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Poland, making a fascinating contribution to the study of the nature of political change in the modern period.'A dazzling collection of articles by the sharpest young historians in the field [that] overturns much of the received wisdom about Europe after Napoleon'Tim Blanning, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
With the erosion of the economic boundaries that once defined the American middle class, the United States seems nearer to becoming an economically dichotomous society of rich and poor. While this alarming economic trend has spurred much discussion in the political and economic arenas, the working poor--individuals whose incomes are insufficient to support either themselves or their families--have been overlooked in the current debates about poverty in America. As their numbers continue to swell, however, America's working poor can no longer be ignored. In this wide-ranging volume five economists, three sociologists, an ethicist, and an urban ethnographer examine the changing size, composition, and location of the working poor in the United States. Kathleen Maas Weigert sets the stage by providing a definitional context and overview of the problem. Elijah Anderson then puts a human face on some hard statistics by analyzing the shifting role of the heroic grandmother in the African-American community. Employing a unique data source based on the 1980 and 1990 censuses, John D. Kasarda answers the questions of who and where the working poor are and how their numbers have changed since 1980. Rebecca M. Blank and Rebecca A. London take an in-depth look at the working poor population as it has evolved over the past 15 years and offer a comprehensive examination of the policy options designed to address its shifting needs. Sheldon Danziger and Peter Gottschalk effectively debunk the myth that "anyone who works hard can get ahead in America" by arguing that uneven tides in the economic mainstream leave an increasing number of willing workers behind. Sandra L. Hofferth raises the important issue of child care for the working poor. James P. Sterba argues that the working poor have a right to welfare assistance, and finally, Thomas R. Swartz brings the topic into the current political arena by speculating about the consequences of the various welfare reform proposals that are currently making their way through Congress.
The International Directory of Government is the definitive guide to people in power in every part of the world. All the top decision-makers are included in this one-volume publication, which brings together government institutions, agencies and personnel from the largest nations (China, India, Russia, etc.) to the smallest overseas dependencies (Guadeloupe, Guernsey and Christmas Island, etc). Institutional entries contain the names and titles of principal officials, postal, e-mail and internet addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and other relevant details. Key features: - comprehensive lists of government ministers and ministries - coverage of state-related agencies and other institutions arranged by subject heading - details of important state, provincial and regional administrations, including information on US states, Russian republics, and the states and territories of India.
One of the commonly stated virtues of modern constitutional democracies is their capacity to insure reliable and accepted methods of political succession through election. This book focuses on one particular, though not uncommon, complication in the democratic mode of political succession: American vice-presidents who assume office as a result of the death, assassination or resignation of a president. Three basic strategies by "accidental presidents" to establish and enhance their legitimacy are identified and evaluated. While none are reliably successful, each provides a lens to study the nature of presidential power and authority as well as to contribute to a democratic theory of succession.
This international comparative study of the Ombudsman institution began life in March 1994 when Philip Giddings and Roy Gregory formed the idea of producing a successor to Gerald Caiden's International Handbook of the Ombudsman [1983]. In the decade and a half since Caiden's volume was produced, there has been a considerable expansion of the number and variety of Ombudsman institutions. With the generous assistance of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences [IIAS] we were able to assemble a team of experts, containing academics and practitioners, public lawyers, political scientists and administrators, drawn from a wide range of states and reflecting many different systems, cultures and experiences. Most members of the team were able to meet at three IIAS-sponsored consultations held in Brussels in 1996, 1997 and 1998 at which we debated and refined our strategy and methodology and reflected upon our findings. From these meetings an agreed framework was drawn up for the reports to be included in this volume and those reports, together with thematic chapters on issues such as human rights and the new public management, form the heart of this book.
In 2008, the economic relationship between the United States and China almost collapsed due to a crisis at two American mortgage corporations, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This book explains how that crisis came about, and analyzes the consequences and implications.
This book is the first study of the power of the Russian Parliament in the policy process from 1994-2001, within the context of executive-legislative relations. It challenges the widely held view that between 1994 and 2001 Russia had a presidential system with a strong, authoritarian leader who ruled by decree and a weak parliament which did not have much power.
The Brazilian experience is a pace setter in the transition from an authoritarian regime to the establishment of stable and democratically responsible political institutions. This insightful analysis, based on decades of field work, is the very first of its kind on a legislature outside the United States. Moreover, it addresses important issues regarding the role of executive and congressional bureaucracies in the system of government. There is no other book like this. It is very useful for understanding the Brazilian military regime and how Brazil emerged from it. The author, because of long association through a research project of his university with the Brazilian Congress, is in a unique position to study it in depth. Robert Alexander Rutgers University This in-depth report opens with a brief history of the presidential system of government in Brazil, a description of political parties, and the bureaucracy. The first chapters show how the military regime tried to reformulate the political system and how these changes affected Congress and its ability to discharge constitutional mandates. The next chapters analyze the congressional bureaucracy, its modernization of informational capabilities, and the workings of Congress in detail. The final chapters examine changes in Congress when developing new policy and when drafting a new constitution. The study closes with a discussion of the main characteristics of the new constitution and an assessment of the overall performance of Congress and the presidential system in Brazil. This inside analysis is based on decades of field work and is intended for students of comparative government, public policymaking, and Latin American studies.
Explores how a famous trial court judge used rhetorical strategies to engage the public and the legal community in challenging the accepted views of the proper roles for the courts and the community in the pursuit of justice. Analyzes the role of Judge Lord in stimulating public debate about some well-known and controversial cases and in doing so helps enrich our understanding of how trial court judicial rhetoric and opinions can contribute to public understanding and a fruitful discussion of the law, the courts, and their relationship to the community. Judge Lord made his opinions accessible and potentially persuasive to a public auidence through his attention to judicial personal, argument structures that helped to maintain a sense of dramatic narrative, the use of plain language, and the use of substitution, metaphor, and comparison. In addition to offering practical insights into the operation of trial courts, judicial persuasion, and the settlement of some important cases, provides an overview of different judicial approaches to the use of rhetoric. This in-depth study of a noted judge and important trials can serve as a useful text for students in law, communications, public policy, and American studies and will be of interest to scholars and professionals alike.
What policy is best for the United States to reduce the threat of Islamic extremist terrorism? Recent American presidents have applied alternative conflict resolution approaches. Clinton practiced conflict avoidance, talking tough but rarely retaliating against anti-American terrorist attacks. G. W. Bush adopted a fighter approach and the Global War on Terrorism and military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq reflect this strategy. Obama introduced a third alternative: problem solving and extending peaceful overtures while keeping up resistance. Will the strategy succeed? Feste analyzes presidential rhetoric on counterterrorism policy through the lens of issue framing, enemy aggression, self -hardship, and victimization expressed in a variety of speeches delivered by these chief executives to highlight and compare their conflict resolution strategies.
A pioneering exploration of the phenomenon of the composite state in Eighteenth-century Europe. Employing a comparative approach, it combines the findings of new research on Ireland with broader syntheses of major composite states in Europe those of France, Austria and Poland-Lithuania.
Libertines seeks to understand why public figures sometimes take extraordinary risks, sullying their good names, humiliating their families, placing themselves in legal jeopardy, and potentially destroying their political careers as they seek to gratify their sexual desires. From Hamilton to Trump and the many in between, each case of sexual misconduct in this book shows the seamy side of political lives, with calculations about covering discretions or portraying them favorably occurring only after the fact.
The book provides a comprehensive account of the scope and variety of the work performed by the departments which are responsible to the Scottish ministers. |
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