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Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given
area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject
in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of
travel. They are relevant but also visionary. This insightful
Research Agenda takes a thematic approach to analysing reform in
regional and local government, exploring central concepts such as
devolution, Europeanisation and globalisation. Expert contributors
address key trends in structural change and reorganisation,
subnational autonomy and decentralisation, metropolitan governance,
and multi-level governance. Chapters explore managerial innovations
and reform, democratic participation and leadership, and populism
at local and regional levels. Identifying promising research
avenues in these fields, the Research Agenda reflects on the
effects of the 2008 global financial crisis, and potential lessons
that are arising for subnational governments following the outbreak
of the Covid-19 pandemic. It concludes that although the 2008
crisis has had some impact on territorial governance, there is
greater continuity than radical change. Addressing particular
themes and trends from a comparative perspective, this Research
Agenda will be critical reading for scholars and students of
international politics, urban studies and regional studies.
Regions are increasingly recognised as a key aspect of economic
change in Europe, not merely as geographic spaces but also as
social systems. Their history, culture, institutions and patterns
of leadership mould the way in which they adapt to European and
global competitive challenges. This book reviews the debate
surrounding the construction of regions and presents eight case
studies to illustrate how they are shaped and reshaped in a variety
of different ways. The authors find that while some regions exhibit
common patterns, there are significant variations, indicating that
there is no definitive model of regional development. This book
offers a systematic comparison of eight distinct regions and
stateless nations, each with its own historical identity, but which
is constantly being rebuilt in changing economic and political
conditions. Avoiding economic or cultural determinism, the authors
show how region-builders can shape their own responses to global
challenges to produce models of development reflecting differing
understandings and social compromises. Culture, Institutions and
Economic Development will be warmly welcomed by academics within
the fields of regional studies, European studies and political
science.
Regions are increasingly recognised as a key aspect of economic
change in Europe, not merely as geographic spaces but also as
social systems. Their history, culture, institutions and patterns
of leadership mould the way in which they adapt to European and
global competitive challenges. This book reviews the debate
surrounding the construction of regions and presents eight case
studies to illustrate how they are shaped and reshaped in a variety
of different ways. The authors find that while some regions exhibit
common patterns, there are significant variations, indicating that
there is no definitive model of regional development. This book
offers a systematic comparison of eight distinct regions and
stateless nations, each with its own historical identity, but which
is constantly being rebuilt in changing economic and political
conditions. Avoiding economic or cultural determinism, the authors
show how region-builders can shape their own responses to global
challenges to produce models of development reflecting differing
understandings and social compromises. Culture, Institutions and
Economic Development will be warmly welcomed by academics within
the fields of regional studies, European studies and political
science.
The book addresses the impact of the European Union (EU) on
subnational mobilization in small unitary states. Located at the
intersection of contributions from the literatures on multilevel
governance and Europeanization, this book offers a new theoretical
framework to account for state rescaling processes in small unitary
states. By means of a comparative analysis of eight small unitary
states in Europe, this book shows that the impact of the EU on
subnational mobilization is filtered through domestic mediating
factors which can lead to three possible outcomes:
decentralization, recentralization or no change. The book offers a
balanced combination of analytical clarity and the richness of
empirical accounts in a wide diversity of case studies. It sheds a
new light on the ‘hybrid nature’ of the European polity and
demonstrates that member state governments have remained the most
important pieces of the European puzzle. Overall, it arrives at two
conclusions: first, that we are witnessing a ‘transformation of
the state’ rather than its demise; second, the notion of a
‘Europe of the Regions’ in small unitary states was no more
than a ‘damp squib’. The chapters in this book were originally
published as a special issue of the journal, Regional & Federal
Studies.
This book examines the effects of economic and political
restructuring on regions in Europe and North America. The main
theses are: international economic restructuring and its impact on
regions; political realignments at the regional level; questions of
territorial identity and their connection with class, gender and
neighbourhood identity; policy choices and policy conflicts in
regional development.
The book addresses the impact of the European Union (EU) on
subnational mobilization in small unitary states. Located at the
intersection of contributions from the literatures on multilevel
governance and Europeanization, this book offers a new theoretical
framework to account for state rescaling processes in small unitary
states. By means of a comparative analysis of eight small unitary
states in Europe, this book shows that the impact of the EU on
subnational mobilization is filtered through domestic mediating
factors which can lead to three possible outcomes:
decentralization, recentralization or no change. The book offers a
balanced combination of analytical clarity and the richness of
empirical accounts in a wide diversity of case studies. It sheds a
new light on the 'hybrid nature' of the European polity and
demonstrates that member state governments have remained the most
important pieces of the European puzzle. Overall, it arrives at two
conclusions: first, that we are witnessing a 'transformation of the
state' rather than its demise; second, the notion of a 'Europe of
the Regions' in small unitary states was no more than a 'damp
squib'. The chapters in this book were originally published as a
special issue of the journal, Regional & Federal Studies.
Almost all states are either federal or regionalized in some sense.
It is difficult to find a state that is entirely unitary and the
Routledge Handbook of Regionalism and Federalism necessarily takes
in almost the entire world. Both federalism and regionalism have
been subjects of a vast academic literature mainly from political
science but sometimes also from history, economics, and geography.
This cutting edge examination seeks to evaluate the two types of
state organization from the perspective of political science
producing a work that is analytical rather than simply descriptive.
The Handbook presents some of the latest theoretical reflections on
regionalism and federalism and then moves on to discuss cases of
both regionalism and federalism in key countries chosen from the
world's macro-regions. Assembling this wide range of case studies
allows the book to present a general picture of current trends in
territorial governance. The final chapters then examine failed
federations such as Czechoslovakia and examples of transnational
regionalism - the EU, NAFTA and the African Union. Covering
evolving forms of federalism and regionalism in all parts of the
world and featuring a comprehensive range of case studies by
leading international scholars this work will be an essential
reference source for all students and scholars of international
politics, comparative politics and international relations.
This book combines theoretical essays with probing case studies to
examine the effects of economic and political restructuring in
Europe and North America on regions on these two continents. The
main theses are: international economic restructuring and its
impact on regions; political realignments at the regional level;
questions of territorial identity and their connection with class,
gender and neighbourhood identity; policy choices and policy
conflicts in regional development.
In 1981, the newly elected socialist government of France announced
a septennat. The decentralization reforms, known as the Deferre
Reforms after the then Minister of the Interior and
Decentralization, have changed the politico-administrative
landscape of France. This volume asks what changes - if any -
occurred and looks at the implications for French public
policy-making.
With globalization and the EU, local and regional government in
member states have experienced dramatic changes in the way that
they operate, the responsibilities that they have and their links
with the hierarchy of government organization. France has proved to
be no exception to these general trends although it has adapted to
them in a specifically French way. John Loughlin presents an
overview of the theory and practice of subnational government in
France and a detailed examination of the outcomes.
With globalization and the EU, local and regional government in
member states have experienced dramatic changes in their operation,
responsibilities and organizations. Loughlin presents an overview
of the theory and practice of subnational government in France and
a detailed examination of the outcomes.
Almost all states are either federal or regionalized in some sense.
It is difficult to find a state that is entirely unitary and the
Routledge Handbook of Regionalism and Federalism necessarily takes
in almost the entire world. Both federalism and regionalism have
been subjects of a vast academic literature mainly from political
science but sometimes also from history, economics, and geography.
This cutting edge examination seeks to evaluate the two types of
state organization from the perspective of political science
producing a work that is analytical rather than simply descriptive.
The Handbook presents some of the latest theoretical reflections on
regionalism and federalism and then moves on to discuss cases of
both regionalism and federalism in key countries chosen from the
world's macro-regions. Assembling this wide range of case studies
allows the book to present a general picture of current trends in
territorial governance. The final chapters then examine failed
federations such as Czechoslovakia and examples of transnational
regionalism - the EU, NAFTA and the African Union. Covering
evolving forms of federalism and regionalism in all parts of the
world and featuring a comprehensive range of case studies by
leading international scholars this work will be an essential
reference source for all students and scholars of international
politics, comparative politics and international relations.
Dignity is a fundamental aspect of our lives, yet one we rarely
pause to consider; our understandings of dignity, on individual,
collective and philosophical perspectives, shape how we think, act
and relate to others. This book offers an historical survey of how
dignity has been understood and explores the concept in the
Judaeo-Christian tradition. World-renowned contributors examine the
roots of human dignity in classical Greece and Rome and the
Scriptures, as well as in the work of theologians, such as St
Thomas Aquinas and St John Paul II. Further chapters consider
dignity within Renaissance art and sacred music. The volume shows
that dignity is also a contemporary issue by analysing situations
where the traditional understanding has been challenged by
philosophical and policy developments. To this end, further essays
look at the role of dignity in discussions about transhumanism,
religious freedom, robotics and medicine. Grounded in the principal
Christian traditions of Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, and
Protestantism, this book offers an interdisciplinary and
cross-period approach to a timely topic. It validates the notion of
human dignity and offers an introduction to the field, while also
challenging it.
Dignity is a fundamental aspect of our lives, yet one we rarely
pause to consider; our understandings of dignity, on individual,
collective and philosophical perspectives, shape how we think, act
and relate to others. This book offers an historical survey of how
dignity has been understood and explores the concept in the
Judaeo-Christian tradition. World-renowned contributors examine the
roots of human dignity in classical Greece and Rome and the
Scriptures, as well as in the work of theologians, such as St
Thomas Aquinas and St John Paul II. Further chapters consider
dignity within Renaissance art and sacred music. The volume shows
that dignity is also a contemporary issue by analysing situations
where the traditional understanding has been challenged by
philosophical and policy developments. To this end, further essays
look at the role of dignity in discussions about transhumanism,
religious freedom, robotics and medicine. Grounded in the principal
Christian traditions of Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, and
Protestantism, this book offers an interdisciplinary and
cross-period approach to a timely topic. It validates the notion of
human dignity and offers an introduction to the field, while also
challenging it.
The Oxford Handbook of Local and Regional Democracy in Europe
analyses the state of play of democracy at the subnational level in
the 27 member states of the EU plus Norway and Switzerland. It
places subnational democracy in the context of the distinctive
Anglo, the French, the German, and Scandinavian state traditions in
Europe asking to what extent these are still relevant today. The
Handbook adapts Lijphart's theory of democracy and applies it to
the subnational levels in all the country chapters. A key
theoretical issue is whether subnational (regional and local)
democracy is derived from national democracy or whether it is
legitimate in its own right. Besides these theoretical concerns it
focuses on the practice of democracy: the roles of political
parties and interest groups and also how subnational political
institutions relate to the ordinary citizen. This can take the form
of local referendums or other mechanisms of participation. The
Handbook reveals a wide variety of practices across Europe in this
regard. Local financial systems also reveal a great variety.
Finally, each chapter examines the challenges facing subnational
democracy but also the opportunities available to them to enhance
their democratic systems. Among the challenges identified are:
Europeanization, globalization, but also citizens disaffection and
switch-off from politics. Some countries have confronted these
challenges more successfully than others but all countries face
them. An important aspect of the Handbook is the inclusion of all
the countries of East and Central Europe plus Cyprus and Malta, who
joined the EU in 2004 and 2007. This is the first time they have
been examined alongside the countries of Western Europe from the
angle of subnational democracy.
When will Albania join the EU? Will accession help Albania to
achieve prosperity, stability and prosperity? And, what factors are
helping it towards this end and what factors are holding it back?
An original study of Albania and its relations with the EU, this is
the first book to identify and analyse the problems of the country
as it moves towards membership of the Union. It explores the
political, economic and social transformations needed to make
Albanian membership possible. The authors highlight the enormous
democratic changes that have occurred in post-communist Albania, as
well as the many obstacles that still remain. This balanced and
objective assessment will be an essential resource for everyone
interested in the history and future of the Balkans and the EU.
This book is the result of a research project carried out for the
Committee of the Regions and analyses the 'state of play' of
democratic practice at the subnational level in all of the European
Member states. Its initial hypothesis was that liberal democracy is
closely associated with the rise of the nation state in the 19th
century. The nation state, however, has been significantly changing
under the impact of various forces including globalization and
regionalization, internal reforms of the public administration
system such as privatization and deregulation, and the emergence of
regions and local authorities as actors in their own rights. these
changes pose challenges for the practice of democracy and, in
particular, for its expression at the regional and local level. The
book deals with the theoretical implications of these changes in
terms of the changing nature of the state and new regionalism.
However, one of the key findings is that there is no one uniform
meaning of democracy across member states and there are variations
even within a single state depending on whether the national or
subnational levels are considered. Each country chapter gives the
historical and philosophical background to the concept of democracy
in each country. There is also an exposition of the institutional
expression of democracy at the different levels. With regard to the
practice of democracy at the subnational level, the role of
pressure groups and policy networks is examined as well as the role
of political parties. There is a survey of critiques of subnational
democracy. Finally, there is a survey of innovative approaches to
improving regional and local democracy through a variety of
mechanisms and reforms as ways of responding to the challenge and
opportunities facing it today
This book, the result of a research project commissioned by the EU's Committee of the Regions, is the first and most comprehensive survey of the 'state of play' of the regional and local democracy covering all the member states of the European Union. It covers issues of vital importance to the practice of democracy at the subnational levels such as citizens' attitudes, electoral turnout, the role of political parties and policy networks. The book examines ways in which national and subnational governments have attempted to improve subnational democracy through various mechanisms.
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