Citizenship is an ever-evolving and expanding concept. European citizenship is all the more so. This book considers the role that the institutional design of the European Union plays in extending the rights of EU citizens. With chapters from leading researchers in the field, Democratic Empowerment in the European Union outlines the core themes relating to democratic empowerment in the EU. It examines the channels that are being made available by EU policymakers to help increase democratic participation, as well as the hindrances to, and the problems associated with, democratic empowerment. With its groundbreaking account of the ways in which EU citizens are hampered in exercising their democratic citizenship, and proposals for how they might be further empowered to do so, this book is an important addition to the literature on the subject, and offers an excellent introduction to this crucial issue. Democratic Empowerment in the European Union will be essential reading for students of politics and both social and public policy with interests in democracy and citizenship, as well as European policymakers seeking to understand and encourage democratic engagement. Contributors include: W. Bakker, T. Binder, R.I. Csehi, F. Cheneval, K. Dinur, O. Eberl, M. Ferrin, R. Fransen, D. Gaus, A. Gerbrandy, H. Haber, P. Kaniok, V. Koska, N. Kosti, D. Levi-Faur, S. Seubert, C. Struenck, U. Puetter, F. van Waarden, R. Zwieky

This thought-provoking book conceptualizes the importance of civil society and citizenship in building a sustainable and participatory democracy. It considers the ways in which networks and organizations promoting common interests contribute to this mediating space between the public and private spheres, examining the impacts of the diversity of values and attitudes held by these organizations. Taking a normative position, Thomas P. Boje argues for the importance of social justice and civility in an active, liberating, equitable and participatory society. He presents a series of ideas for democratic involvement and emancipation through civil society organizations, as well as societal institutions more generally. This innovative book concludes with a detailed discussion of the conditions required for a participatory democratic system in which all citizens are involved in the planning, decision-making and implementation of crucial decisions influencing the development of an equitable society. This timely book will be an illuminating read for students and scholars seeking to understand the role of civil society and real participatory democracy in liberal democracies. It will also be a key resource for policy makers, professionals and activists wishing to become more informed about conditions for participatory democracy and activism.

This volume brings together reflections on citizenship, political violence, race, ethnicity and gender, by some of the most critical voices of our times. Detailed and wide-ranging individual reflections, take the writings of prominent Ugandan political theorist Mahmood Mamdani as a touchstone for thinking about the world from Africa. Contributors apply this theory to argue that we cannot make sense of the political contentions of difference, identity and citizenship today without understanding the legacies of colonial rule on our world. Chapters examine the persistence of the past, and how we must reckon with its tragedies, its injustices, and its utopias in order to chart a new politics; the politics of possible futures that are more inclusive and more egalitarian, and that can think of difference in more equitable ways. In a time when the call to decolonize knowledge, and politics rings loud and clear, this is both a timely and a crucial intervention.

On July 6, 2003, four months after the United States invaded Iraq, former ambassador Joseph Wilson's now historic op-ed, "What I Didn't Find in Africa," appeared in "The New York Times." A week later, conservative pundit Robert Novak revealed in his newspaper column that Ambassador Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, was a CIA operative. The public disclosure of that secret information spurred a federal investigation and led to the trial and conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby, and the Wilsons' civil suit against top officials of the Bush administration. Much has been written about the "Valerie Plame" story, but Valerie herself has been silent, until now. Some of what has been reported about her has been frighteningly accurate, serving as a pungent reminder to the Wilsons that their lives are no longer private. And some has been completely false -- distorted characterizations of Valerie and her husband and their shared integrity.

Valerie Wilson retired from the CIA in January 2006, and now, not only as a citizen but as a wife and mother, the daughter of an Air Force colonel, and the sister of a U.S. marine, she sets the record straight, providing an extraordinary account of her training and experiences, and answers many questions that have been asked about her covert status, her responsibilities, and her life. As readers will see, the CIA still deems much of the detail of Valerie's story to be classified. As a service to readers, an afterword by national security reporter Laura Rozen provides a context for Valerie's own story.

"Fair Game" is the historic and unvarnished account of the personal and international consequences of speaking truth to power.

This multidisciplinary book unpacks and outlines the contested roles of nationalism and democracy in the formation and transformation of welfare-state institutions and ideologies. At a time when neo-liberal, post-national and nationalist visions alike have challenged democratic welfare nationalism, the book offers a transnational historical perspective to the political dynamics of current changes. While particularly focusing on Nordic countries, often seen as the quintessential 'models' of the welfare state, the book collectively sheds light on the 'history of the present' of nation states bearing the character of a welfare state. Initial chapters discuss the contested roles and meanings of democracy in the formation of the so-called 'Nordic model' of welfare, exploring its development in connection with rhetorical de-ideologization during and after the Cold War and with concerns about global development. Contributors further examine the ways in which national welfare states and their democratic dimensions are reshaped in the context of post-national regulation regimes of globalized and financialized capitalism. In the final chapters, the book explores the implications of welfare nationalism for cross-border mobility, analysing paradoxes and inherent tensions at the heart of contemporary migration politics. The analyses point to the integral role of nationalism in the formation of the democratic welfare states, as well as in the present-day goals of national competitiveness and security. Providing key theoretical insights for the study of welfare nationalism, this book is essential reading for scholars, researchers and students of the social and political sciences who are interested in the enduring transformation of the welfare state, and particularly those investigating the emergence and growth of the Nordic model. Policymakers and practitioners will also benefit from this multi-layered, empirical account of contemporary policy problems.

In this thought-provoking book, Jose M. Magone investigates the growing political, economic and social divisions between the core countries of the European Union and the southern European periphery. He examines the major hindrances that are preventing the four main southern European countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece) from keeping up with the increasing pace of European integration, and the effects that this is having on democratic governance. Offering a comprehensive comparative overview of southern European politics over the past two decades, the book analyses the impact of the EU's political economy on democracy in the region, in particular the consequences of the Eurocrisis and the economic instability of the 2010s. It argues that these countries have failed to proactively initiate necessary strategic reforms in order to prevent economic and democratic stagnation, and have especially struggled to cope with the changing realities of Europeanization and the demands of Economic and Monetary Union. Students and scholars of European politics will find this book useful and insightful, in particular those interested in southern Europe's political economy and Europeanization. It will also be beneficial for policy makers working in southern European governments and organizations.

This innovative book explores think tanks from the perspective of critical policy studies, showcasing how knowledge, power and politics intersect with the ways in which think tanks intervene in public policy. Expert contributors offer multidisciplinary analyses of the history of policy advice and expertise and highlight recent examples of how think tanks navigate public debates, political arenas and the backstage of decision-making. They provide an overview of historical developments in the emergence and evolution of think tanks and consider how current think tanks produce policy narratives and exercise influence through the power of ideas. Focusing on institutional structures and social forces, chapters explain how national and transnational think tank landscapes are organized and how think tanks shape knowledge production infrastructure in different governance contexts. The book concludes that evaluating this infrastructure is crucial for ensuring that policy discourse serves collective interests and inclusive policy learning in diverse democratic polities. This book's evaluation of the impact of think tanks on expertise, democracy and social justice, while utilizing rigorous empirical research, will be useful for scholars and students of public policy, political theory and public administration and management. It will also be beneficial for think tankers and policy analysts.

Conceptualising the new phenomenon of constitutional crowdsourcing, this incisive book examines democratic legitimacy, participation, and decision-making in constitutions and constitutionalism. It analyses how the wider population can be given a voice in constitution-making and in constitutional interpretation and control, thus promoting the exercise of original and derived constituent power. Chapters investigate the complex relationship and potential relationships between crowdsourcing, democratic constitutionalism and the network society, exploring the strengths and weaknesses of crowdsourcing in this area. This thought-provoking book concludes that constitutionalism is further strengthened because the democratic legitimacy of the constitutional text is reinforced via this mechanism. Antoni Abat i Ninet conceives constitutional crowdsourcing as an epistemic response, an opportunity to place the people at the heart of constitutionalism in the new digital era. Engaging and accessible, Constitutional Crowdsourcing will be of benefit to students and scholars of legal theory, constitutional and administrative law, political science and constitutions. Its forward-looking aspect will also appeal to public officers seeking a better understanding of the potential impact of constitutional crowdfunding.

This timely book examines the imminent dangers to European stability: the socio-economic crisis of global production that has reinforced structural inequalities; the climate crisis and its associated environmental degradation; and the onset and fallout of Covid-19. Placing the triple crisis in the context of EU, European and global geographies, it introduces a new conceptual framework to describe continuing systemic crisis and change in the EU. Based on a rich and varied array of source material, Attila Agh offers a new insight into the future of European politics through twin conceptual pillars: 'Awaking Europe', which describes a Re-United Europe that brings together its key regions; and 'Emerging Europe', which refers to the upgrading of EU mechanisms to shape Europe as a global player through multilateralism. Presenting an integrative analysis of the triple crisis and its management, it describes and dissects the overarching creative crisis of the EU and the major direction of the Union's strategy for renewal. Incisive and provocative, this book is critical reading for scholars and researchers in political science, European studies and economics, particularly those focusing on EU economic policy and the relationships between global powers. It will also benefit policymakers looking for innovative approaches to social investment and sustainable development.

Within these pages James K. Beggan puts forward a novel approach to understanding sexual harassment by high value superstars in the workplace. The approach integrates ideas derived from evolutionary theory, utility theory, sexual scripting theory and research on the regulation of emotion. Besides providing a better understanding of the phenomenon, the book aims to contribute to the development of better techniques to prevent sexual harassment. Recently, credible allegations of sexual misconduct against high profile figures have dominated the news. Sexual harassment has become an important issue for leaders and those who study leadership. The author presents a new approach to understanding sexual harassment in the #MeToo era that integrates research from a diverse range of areas typically ignored by researchers. Ideas derived from this new approach are used to propose more effective methods for the elimination of sexual harassment in the workplace. The book also addresses how efforts to prevent sexual harassment may interfere with the free expression of sexuality and ultimately threaten the rights of the individual. Academics and journalists interested in understanding sexual harassment, including graduate students, and undergraduates enrolled in upper division specialized courses in gender relations will find this book to be innovative and informative.

Understanding the dynamics of trust is an imperative undertaking for educational leaders. In this book, using an ecological perspective of the lifecycle, the authors situate trust as an essential ingredient of school leaders' moral agency and ethical decision making. Based on their 15 years of research on trust in education, the authors describe the nature and dimensions of trust, its importance and imperative, and its fragility and usefulness for school leaders, positioning them as trust brokers in school organizations. The book offers a detailed description of trust's lifecycle stages, namely establishing, maintaining, sustaining, breaking, and restoring, as pertinent to educational settings. It discusses leaders' trust brokering in relation to social capital and psychological contract and interconnected hosting virtues of compassion, hope, and trust. The authors conclude with the role of maturing vision of moral agency, the subjective and objective responsibilities of educational leaders, and the necessary ethical commitments and courage to enact transformative practices in order to provide trustworthy leadership. With its theoretical and empirical basis, this book is an excellent resource for scholars in the fields of education, business, and leadership. It is also a valuable resource as required or supplementary reading for graduate courses in educational administration, leadership, and policy studies. Practitioners in these areas will find valuable insights that they can incorporate into their work.

Blanche Kelso Bruce was born a slave in 1841, yet, remarkably, amassed a real-estate fortune and became the first black man to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate. He married Josephine Willson--the daughter of a wealthy black Philadelphia doctor--and together they broke down racial barriers in 1880s Washington, D.C., numbering President Ulysses S. Grant among their influential friends. The Bruce family achieved a level of wealth and power unheard of for people of color in nineteenth-century America. Yet later generations would stray from the proud Bruce legacy, stumbling into scandal and tragedy.

Drawing on Senate records, historical documents, and personal letters, author Lawrence Otis Graham weaves a riveting social history that offers a fascinating look at race, politics, and class in America.

South Africa's first non-racial local government elections took place in 1995 and 1996, effectively bringing down the curtain on the municipal apartheid which had devided cities and towns since 1923. This study gives a general overview of the constitutional and legislative procedures involved in the democratisation process from 1994 and focuses on the important and controversial role played by boundary demarcation. Detailed case studies analyse the demarcation process in three major metropolitan areas: Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. The title debates the extent to which political motives outweighed technical considerations, and offers guidelines for future demarcation criteria.

With the rise of direct-democratic instruments, the relationship between popular sovereignty and the rule of law is set to become one of the defining political issues of our time. This important and timely book provides an in-depth analysis of the limits imposed on referendums and citizens' initiatives, as well as of systems of reviewing compliance with these limits, in 11 European states. Chapters explore and lay the scientific basis for answering crucial questions such as 'Where should the legal limits of direct democracy be drawn?' and 'Who should review compliance with these limits?' Providing a comparative analysis of the different issues in the selected countries, the book draws out key similarities and differences, as well as an assessment of the law and the practice at national levels when judged against the international standards contained in the Venice Commission's Guidelines on the Holding of Referendums. Presenting an up-to-date analysis of the relationship between popular sovereignty and the rule of law, The Legal Limits of Direct Democracy will be a key resource for scholars and students in comparative and constitutional law and political science. It will also be beneficial to policy-makers and practitioners in parliaments, governments and election commissions, and experts working for international organisations.

Malalai Joya was named one of "Time "magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2010. An extraordinary young woman raised in the refugee camps of Iran and Pakistan, Joya became a teacher in secret girls' schools, hiding her books under her burqa so the Taliban couldn't find them; she helped establish a free medical clinic and orphanage in her impoverished home province of Farah; and at a constitutional assembly in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2003, she stood up and denounced her country's powerful NATO-backed warlords. She was twenty-five years old. Two years later, she became the youngest person elected to Afghanistan's new Parliament. In 2007, she was suspended from Parliament for her persistent criticism of the warlords and drug barons and their cronies. She has survived four assassination attempts to date, is accompanied at all times by armed guards, and sleeps only in safe houses.
Joya takes us inside this massively important and insufficiently understood country, shows us the desperate day-to-day situations its remarkable people face at every turn, and recounts some of the many acts of rebellion that are helping to change it. A controversial political figure in one of the most dangerous places on earth, Malalai Joya is a hero for our times.

This timely book offers an in-depth analysis of the intersection between populism and corruption, addressing phenomena that have been, so far, largely treated separately. Bringing together two dynamic and well-established fields of study, it proposes a theoretical framework for the study of populism and corruption in order to update our understanding of specific forms of each in a variety of socio-political settings. International contributors consider the simultaneous growth of populist rhetoric and political corruption, suggesting systematic methods for analysing the interconnection between them. Chapters further examine the effects of socio-political and historical contexts, outlining histories of political scandals and anti-corruption crusades. Taking a cross-national perspective, the book provides case study analyses of the corruption-populism intersection under diverse political systems including Brazil, France, Israel, Mexico and the USA. Raising critical questions for future research into the connections between the fields, Populism and Corruption offers crucial insights for scholars, researchers and students of political science, sociology and law, particularly those interested in contemporary populist movements. It will also benefit practitioners hoping to act on recent trends in political organizing and policymakers eager to combat political corruption.

This multidisciplinary book consists of 31 chapters covering aspects such as history, sociology, demography, law, economics, environmental studies, politics and public administration - presented in a style that is accessible to both scholars and the general public.;The book provides depth and breadth to the field of politics and society generally, while increasing our knowledge of Botswana in particular. The editors are lecturers at the University of Botswana.

This important Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the role, function and perceived impact of policy research-oriented institutions in North America, Europe and beyond. Over two-dozen international scholars explore the diverse and eclectic world of think tanks to reveal their structure, governance and unique position in occupying a critical space on the public policy landscape. This Handbook serves as a reference point for understanding how think tanks shape public opinion and public policy, and how their directors help them navigate their way through an increasingly crowded marketplace of ideas. It also considers how these organizations enlist various actors (such as policy makers, the media, donors and industry leaders) to influence the discourse around key domestic and foreign policy issues. Handbook on Think Tanks in Public Policy is an invaluable resource for academics and students who wish to further their understanding of how to measure the impact and reach of think tanks. It will also be useful for policymakers and NGOs who are interested in the expertise think tanks can offer on policy-related issues and to donors, whose main goals and objectives may be advanced by these organisations.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Providing a comprehensive account of America's constitutional framework, this Advanced Introduction examines how U.S officials carry out America's foreign policy objectives through diplomacy, trade agreements, secretive covert actions, and the use of military force. Loch K. Johnson delivers an invigorating examination of ethical and legal aspects of American foreign policy as well as providing a new perspective on topics such as domestic politics, diplomacy and policymaking. Key Features include: Analysis of the international setting for U.S. foreign policy activities Examination of foreign policy decision making from domestic, individual and international settings. Discussion of the relationship between the United States and other nations, international organizations, and various global factions. Concise and timely, this Advanced Introduction will be a beneficial read to foreign policy, American studies and international relations students and researchers. This will also be a key resource for military academies and organizations seeking a better understanding of the position of the United States in global affairs.

This unique book presents original concepts to characterize the current crisis of democracy. Offering a comparative study of original electoral data and analysis of contemporary trends, models and theoretical frameworks, Luigi Di Gregorio argues that democracy is affected by 'demopathy'; it is sick and is in need of therapy. Luigi Di Gregorio explores how democratic malaise derives from the transition to postmodernity and the rise of individualization: the loss of social meaning, the end of meta-narratives, the crisis of knowledge and cognitive authorities, narcissism and new perceptions of time and space. The author argues that mass media and technological innovations are the main drivers of this change and have heightened the logic of the consumer society. The resulting psychological democracy is that of a permanent 'pollcracy', whose leaders are simply pursuers of public opinion. The book concludes that democracy must be defended by building a positive narrative to counterbalance the effects of these trends. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, this book will be critical reading for scholars and students of political science, political sociology, political theory and political communication and marketing. Its broad perspective paints a big picture that will also be beneficial for political consultants and policy analysts.