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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > International relations > International institutions
The United Nations is at a critical juncture. It is faced with two distinct choices: to remain a "decision frozen in time" or to develop a long-term adaptation agenda (and strategy) that would allow it to be a relevant institution of global governance for the 21st century. Reform and reflexive institutional adjustments have failed to address underlying problems facing this organization. After 55 years of existence it is still considered an inefficient and ineffective world body. Worse yet, its relevance is being questioned. This study offers a critique of existing UN change processes and then shifts to considerations of institutional learning strategies that would allow the UN to maintain relevance amidst the evolution of global governance arrangements.
This original study explores three generations of approaches to ending conflict. Oliver P. Richmond examines how peacekeeping, mediation and negotiation, conflict resolution, peacebuilding approaches, and UN peace operations have played major roles in replicating an international system prone to intractable forms of conflict.
This book addresses the central theme of adjusting the United Nations system in light of the broadening definition of security, a perceived shift from modernity to post-modernity, and the contemporary debate about reform, adaptation, and institutional learning in multilateral institutions during transitional periods. The authors in this study focus on the lessons learned from the organization's recent performance in collective security, preventive diplomacy and deployment, and peacekeeping, among other things.
In the face of emerging new threats, the EU's capacity to build a distinctive role in crisis management remains problematic. Analysing EU policies and actions, this collection sheds light on the EU's role in managing crises and peacekeeping, exploring avenues for a strategic EU vision for security and defense.
The volume contains articles from high-ranking experts from politics and academia of different Member States about the basic principles of the actual constitutional law of the European Union and its need of reform through a Constitution for Europe. By analysing the rules to govern a Europe of 25 and in time 28 and more Member States the publication intends to make a contribution to the emerging "Ius Publicum Europaeum."
This book's principal aim is to critically address the institutional and substantive legal issues resulting from European enlargement, chiefly those relating to the legal foundations on which the enlarged Union is being built. The accession of new Member States creates the potential for a stronger and more powerful Europe. Realising this potential, however, will depend on the ability of the EU to develop functional and effective governance structures, both at the European level and at the level of the individual Member States. While the acquis communautaire will ensure that formal laws in the new Member States will be aligned with those of existing members, the question remains as to how effective institutions will be in implementing changes, and what effects the imposed changes will have on the legitimacy of the new legal framework. This book, containing the work of leading scholars in law and social sciences, examines the current and future legal framework for EU governance, and the role that new members will - or will not - play in the creation of that framework, paying particular attention to the specific challenges membership in the EU poses to the acceding states of Central and Eastern Europe. It is a book which will contribute to and influence debates over constitutionalism and legal harmonisation in the EU.
In order to better understand processes of European integration, this book offers a new perspective that compares past experiences of change to current transitional moments at the European level. It addresses key questions about European society, EU integration and social change to reveal the social construction of emergent polities and societies.
This text examines evolving trends in democracy at EU and UK levels, pointing out the primary shortcomings of both. It examines the relationship between the democratic practices of the EU and the UK, explaining the paradox of the way in which the EU, despite the poor quality of its own democracy, has enabled devolved decision-making in a novel multilayer polity. The book also considers future prospects for converged Western European democracy in the light of the Labour government's popularizing agenda.
This book represents the revised and enlarged results of a research projeet whieh recieved fmaneial support from the "Wissenschaftsforderung der Sparkassenorganisation e.V." and was originally published in German (Menkhoff 1996). As the issue of monetary poliey instruments for EMU is one whieh is inherently international, the publieation of an English edition is a logieal step. I whish to thank the Deutscher Sparkassenverlag, whieh published the German edition, for eneouraging work on this subsequent projeet. The major innovation in the English edition is the inc1usion of several new seetions, i.e. 3.2.4, 3.3.4, 3.3.5, 3.4.3 and 3.5. These new analyses, together with changing institutional eireumstanees and the addition of new literature have also resulted in a large number of minor ehanges through outthetext. The book is a contribution, from a German perspeetive, to the diseussion about monetary poliey instruments of the future European Central Bank. The main instruments are analyzed from the point of view of effieieney; in addition, the need to harmonize often divergent sets of national poliey instruments means that an emphasis on the additional goal of fair eompeti tion is of partieular relevanee. Last but not least, the explieit linking of EMU to the eoneept of subsidiarity has wide-ranging eonsequenees for monetary poliey instruments."
While the EU has championed "effective multilateralism" and experienced a dramatic internal reform process to improve its performance in external relations, broader multilateral processes have also undergone dramatic change. This handbook addresses the increasingly contested issue of profound political importance: Europe's presence in multilateral institutions. It assesses both the evolving role of Europe in international institutions, and the transformations in international institutions themselves. Acknowledging that the category of international institutions comprises a highly diverse field of multilateral engagements this handbook presents a state of the art approach that analyzes both what we have learned about the EU and international institutions as well as identifying promising avenues for further research. The handbook is divided into six parts: Part I examines the EU's diplomatic and legal personality in international relations that constitutes the internal foundation for the EU's engagement with international institutions. Part II assesses how EU multilateralism intersects with other international institutions and provides a means to assess the performance of international institutions as well as the EU itself in multilateral processes. Part III focuses on the EU's participation with key institutions within the general UN system, such as the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council as well as specific policy domains such as human rights across UN institutions. Part IV focuses on EU relations with wide range of international organizations in a variety of fields, from organizations in economic and security realms to environmental institutions and specialized agencies. Part V focuses on the EU's engagement in a broad spectrum of issue-specific international agreements and international regimes, addressing issues such as non-proliferation of WMDs, climate change, information technology, and the emerging Gx-system (G7, G8, G20 etc). Part VI examines broader contextual factors that influence the relationship between the EU and international institutions, including the evolution of multilateralism, the trans-Atlantic relationship, global norms and the emergence of multipolarity. This comprehensive volume brings together scholars and practitioners to summarize and synthesize existing knowledge in the field. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of European politics, the EU's external relations, international relations, international organizations and international political economy.
This book examines the democratic legitimacy of the European Union (EU) and evaluates the democratic credentials of the EU s main decision-making procedure. It finds that though there is potential for democratic decision-making in the EU, the actual process is dominated by technocrats and secret meetings. The book assesses and discusses the conditions for democratic input in decision-making with five empirical chapters each addressing the ordinary legislative procedure from different dimensions: democratic deliberative forums, inclusion, openness, power neutralising mechanisms and decision-making capacity. The analytical framework provides for an in-depth assessment of the ordinary legislative procedure s potential democratic qualities and examines whether it fulfils democratic criteria, how the procedure works in practice and whether it has the necessary democratic clout. The author provides both a theoretical discussion and an empirical assessment of what role the principle of democracy could play in the EU. Filling a gap in EU legislative studies and contributing to the debate on the European democratic deficit, "Democratic Decision-making in the EU" will be of interest to students and scholars of European Union politics, legislative studies and deliberative democracy.
The EU's self promotion as a 'conflict manager' is embedded in a discourse about its 'shared values' and their foundation in a connection between security, development and democracy. This book provides a collection of essays based on the latest cutting edge research into the EU's active engagement in conflict management. It maps the evolution of EU policy and strategic thinking about its role, and the development of its institutional capacity to manage conflicts. Case studies of EU conflict management within the Union, in its neighbourhood and further afield, explore the consistency, coherence, and politicization of EU strategy at the implementation stage. The essays examine the extent to which the EU can exert influence on conflict dynamics and outcomes. Such influence depends on a number of changing factors: how the EU conceptualizes conflict and policy solutions; the balance of interests within the EU on the issue (divided or concerted) and the degree of politicization in the EU's role; the scope for an external EU role; and the value attached by the conflict parties to EU engagement - a value that is almost wholly bound to their interest in a membership perspective (or other strong relationship to the EU) rather than to 'shared values' as an end in themselves. This book was based on a special issue of Ethnopolitics.
Yves Beigbeder discusses the creation of UNICEF, the evolution of its programs, its structure and finances, and its work in health, nutrition, education, sanitation, and in emergencies. It also examines the current challenges UNICEF faces, including its nature and identity, its relationships with other international organizations, reduced funding, and its need to refocus some of its programs.
Citizenship in an Enlarging Europe considers the impact of economic, political and social transformation in Central and Eastern Europe in the context of EU enlargement. The author uses the lens of gender to examine the processes of democratization, marketization and nationalism.
This book shows how large an impact the WTO has on developing countries. It assesses the subsidies given and shows how they will be affected by trade liberalization. It looks in particular at the TRIPS agreement and assesses the costs and benefits that it will have for developing countries.
The Performance of the EU in International Institutions marks one of the first attempts to systematically analyse the subject. It focuses on the role of the EU in decision-making within international organizations and regimes as a major locus of global governance. The book unpacks the concept of EU performance into four core elements: effectiveness (goal achievement); efficiency (ratio between outputs accomplished and costs incurred); relevance (of the EU for its priority stakeholders); and financial/resource viability (the ability of the performing organization to raise the funds required). Based on the case studies herein, the findings presented in this book relate to the identified core elements of performance with a particular emphasis on the dimensions of 'effectiveness' and 'relevance'. Most notably, the EU appears, on balance and over the past two decades, to have become much more relevant for its member states when acting within international institutions. The book highlights four particular factors explaining EU performance in international institutions: the status of relevant EU legislation and policies, the legal framework conditions including the relevant changes that the Lisbon Treaty has brought about, domestic EU politics, and the international context. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of European Integration
This book provides a theoretical and historical examination of the speech and deeds of European founders. Using a fresh and innovative approach, this monograph connects political theory with concrete political practices based on empirical evidence, and theorizes the internal process of European reconciliations as it has been experienced by those involved. The book draws upon over 100 interviews, memoirs, autobiographies and essays of elite and grassroot actors across the history of the European Union, from the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1950-2 to the 2010 financial crisis. It introduces the reader to major contemporary Western political thinkers, Hannah Arendt, Jurgen Habermas, Charles Taylor and Paul Ricoeur, and examines how their theories develop the interpretation of political phenomena such as European integration. As one of the first studies of EU memories, this approach opens a unique window of analysis to view the development of the European community, and makes a fascinating contribution to our understanding of the political tradition born of 60 years of European integration. A Political Theory of Identity in European Integration: Memory and Policies will be of strong interest to students and scholars of European politics, contemporary democratic theory and EU studies.
Turkish accession to the European Union is an important but controversial item on the agenda of the European Union. By focusing on the various domestic sources that drive Turkish politics, this comprehensive study of both classic and new topics supported by fresh, new insights fills a void in the current literature on Turkey-EU relations. This volume is a comprehensive, state of the art study of domestic politics and policies and their role in Turkey's EU accession. Contributions are obtained from established scholars, acknowledged for their expertise in their respective fields. The content is structured along issues, dynamics, actors and policies that drive Turkish politics and it provides an integrated assessment of the dynamics in Turkey-EU relations to general readers, students and specialists in EU Enlargement and Turkish politics alike. Original contributions to 'classic' topics such as the customs union, human rights, military, civil society, public and elite opinion, political parties and the Kurdish issue are made by assessing the domestic sources of recent developments during the negotiations period. In addition, 'new' topics are included that previously have not been covered or analyzed in volumes on Turkish-EU relations such as the Alevi issue, European Turks, corruption in Turkey, and Turkish parliamentary elite opinion on Turkey and the EU. This book was published as a special issue of South European Society and Politics.
In 1995 a conference will be convened to review and extend the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). This work brings together a group of individuals, including the elected President of the 1995 NPT Conference, to analyze four crucial agenda areas relevant to the Conference: the pre-conference activities to be undertaken by both States Parties and the Conference Secretariat; those security issues that relate to a review of the treaty, such as nuclear disarmament and security assurances; peaceful uses and verification questions; and regional issues.
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.
This is the second volume in The Official History of Britain and the European Community, and describes the events from 1963 up until the British referendum on the Common Market in 1975. In 1963, General de Gaulle dashed Prime Minister Macmillan's hopes of taking Britain into the European Community (the Common Market). When Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson tried again, de Gaulle again said 'no'. Six years later, Prime Minister Edward Heath took Britain into the EEC. But by then the country was split and Harold Wilson, to keep the Labour Party from voting to leave, undertook to renegotiate Britain's membership. When Labour won the 1974 election that renegotiation culminated in the first nationwide referendum ever held in the United Kingdom. The British people voted by two to one to stay in the European Community, but British membership has been controversial ever since. This is the story of why three very different Prime Ministers all concluded that, in the British national interest, there was no viable alternative to joining the Common Market. In the words and documents of the time (those of politicians, diplomats and journalists from Britain, France and Germany) it relives the frustrations, successes and humiliations of British politicians as they wrestled with the most important issue of their generation. It shows, with the authority of the Government papers of the day, where and why today's European controversy started and why yesterday's challenges, and the way they were confronted, hold valid lessons for our time. This book will be of much interest to students of British political history, European Union politics, Diplomatic History and International Relations in general.
Since its origins, there have been competing views concerning the nature, scope and objectives of the process of integration and of the European Union. Attitudes towards Europe and European integration, both among political elites and citizens, have been much studied over the last 15 years. But there is no comprehensive analysis of these competing views of Europe at the supranational level. The existence of radically diverging views on the European political system within the EU's own institutions is problematic at both theoretical and practical levels. Little is known, however, about this phenomenon, its impact on the EU's agenda and policy-making as well as on constitutional reform. This book aims therefore at investigating the divergence in views about the European Union in order to lend insight into its consequences for the functioning of the EU and its institutions. It will focus on the main EU institutions, i.e. the Council, Commission, Parliament and Court but will also deal with the visions of various European elites on the EU. This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of European Integration.
"This excellent study combines considerable institutional and policy detail with an assured analysis of government and private sector agent interactions." . Modern and Contemporary France "One of the main conclusions the reader of this] book can draw is that the best specialists of French contemporary political movements come from the Anglo-Saxon academic world." . H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews OnLine ..". a most welcome contribution to the development of environmental policy] ... Overall, this book is well worth buying, both from an individual and from an institutional perspective. It is excellent value for money and an excellent source of information on environmental policy development and practice that allows one's knowledge to be pushed beyond the traditional Anglo-American axis." . Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy " A] solid, insightful, fair-minded survey of French environmental policies" . Choice Drawing on an extensive range of political, legal and sociological materials, the author presents and evaluates environmental policy-making in France at a time when environmental problems are growing in complexity and gravity. He highlights the range of inputs to the policy process - including popular movements, green parties, interest group representation, EU legislation and international treaties - and evaluates the diverse nature of the outcomes which lead him to conclude that because new developments involve not only changes in policy content but also adaptation of policy style, environmental demands are progressively changing the shape of politics itself."
In recent years the European Union (EU) has played an increasingly important role as a manager of global conflicts. This book provides a comprehensive assessment of how the EU has performed in facilitating mediation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding across the globe. Offering an accessible introduction to the theories, processes and practice of the EU s role in managing conflict, the book features a broad range of case studies including Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cyprus, Israel-Palestine, Macedonia and Moldova and examines both the institutional and policy aspects including the common foreign, security and defence policy. Drawing together a wide range of contributors, this will be of great interest to students of European Foreign Policy, the EU as a global actor and conflict resolution and management.
In recent years the European Union (EU) has played an increasingly important role as a manager of global conflicts. This book provides a comprehensive assessment of how the EU has performed in facilitating mediation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding across the globe. Offering an accessible introduction to the theories, processes and practice of the EU s role in managing conflict, the book features a broad range of case studies including Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cyprus, Israel-Palestine, Macedonia and Moldova and examines both the institutional and policy aspects including the common foreign, security and defence policy. Drawing together a wide range of contributors, this will be of great interest to students of European Foreign Policy, the EU as a global actor and conflict resolution and management. |
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