This book examines the crisis of democracy that has arisen in Hungary since the election of the Fidesz government in 2010. After moving swiftly to transform the Hungarian constitution, Fidesz created a new political system which has led its critics to argue that the era of democracy in Hungary is over. US Senator John McCain has gone so far as to describe Hungary as an illiberal democracy on a path toward fascism. The author argues that Fidesz has sought to challenge the capitalist and democratic transformation that shaped Hungary for 20 years after the fall of communism by increasing the power of the state over crucial aspects of the economy, society, and the political system. In so doing Fidesz' actions resemble those undertaken by many authoritarian states that have emerged since the end of the Second World War, all aiming to build up a national capitalism and protect their economies whilst undertaking nation-building. To make sense of this the author draws upon two traditions of thought, world systems-analysis, which situates Hungary in the context of its incorporation in the modern capitalist world-system after the fall of communism; and anarchist social thought which provides a unique way of seeing the actions of states and political elites. In so doing the book argues that the events unfolding in Hungary cannot be explained on the basis of Hungarian exceptionalism but must be situated in the broader political and economic context that has shaped the development of Hungary since 1990. The form of capitalism introduced in Hungary and across the region of East and Central Europe has systematically undermined the strong state and social security that had existed under communism, and when added to the failure of the left and liberals in the region it has paved the way for far-right and neo-fascist political movements to emerge claiming the mantle of defenders of society from the market. This represents a fundamental threat to the enlightenment traditions that have shaped dominant modern political ideologies and raises profound problems for both the EU and NATO.

Global politics in the information age, available in paperback for the first time, presents a provocative and wide-ranging introduction to the notion that information technologies are creating new formations of power, control and resistance across the planet. The essays - ranging from the language used by the Bush administration to shape the war on terror, the attempts to control the circulation of informational products, the strategies of media management deployed to shape how the war in Iraq during 2003 was presented in the public sphere, through to the attempts to 'brand' economic globalisation and strategies of resistance developed by the anti-globalisation movement - unearth the new transformations that are unfolding in the twenty first century. This collection of essays brings together academics working across the social sciences - from International Relations, Political Economy, Sociology and Media Studies - to provide the reader with a number of different perspectives on the way that flows of images, capital, ideologies and informational goods are creating global spaces of control and resistance. The book seeks to rethink approaches to global politics that see information society as closing down spaces of resistance, while at the same time exploring the new formations of power that informational society is making possible. The book offers clearly explained theoretical insight into the debates that are shaping discussion on global politics and information society, with case studies that will be of interest to the student seeking to make sense of the changes that are unfolding. -- .

This book examines the crisis of democracy that has arisen in Hungary since the election of the Fidesz government in 2010. After moving swiftly to transform the Hungarian constitution, Fidesz created a new political system which has led its critics to argue that the era of democracy in Hungary is over. US Senator John McCain has gone so far as to describe Hungary as an illiberal democracy on a path toward fascism. The author argues that Fidesz has sought to challenge the capitalist and democratic transformation that shaped Hungary for 20 years after the fall of communism by increasing the power of the state over crucial aspects of the economy, society, and the political system. In so doing Fidesz' actions resemble those undertaken by many authoritarian states that have emerged since the end of the Second World War, all aiming to build up a national capitalism and protect their economies whilst undertaking nation-building. To make sense of this the author draws upon two traditions of thought, world systems-analysis, which situates Hungary in the context of its incorporation in the modern capitalist world-system after the fall of communism; and anarchist social thought which provides a unique way of seeing the actions of states and political elites. In so doing the book argues that the events unfolding in Hungary cannot be explained on the basis of Hungarian exceptionalism but must be situated in the broader political and economic context that has shaped the development of Hungary since 1990. The form of capitalism introduced in Hungary and across the region of East and Central Europe has systematically undermined the strong state and social security that had existed under communism, and when added to the failure of the left and liberals in the region it has paved the way for far-right and neo-fascist political movements to emerge claiming the mantle of defenders of society from the market. This represents a fundamental threat to the enlightenment traditions that have shaped dominant modern political ideologies and raises profound problems for both the EU and NATO.

With developments in media technologies creating new opportunities and challenges for social movements to emerge and mobilize, this book is a timely and necessary examination of how organized labour and workers movements are engaging with this shifting environment. Based on extensive empirical research into emerging migrant and low-wage workers movements and their media practices, this book takes a critical look at the nature of worker resistance to ever-growing global corporate power in a digital age. Situating trade unionism in historical context, the book considers other forms of worker organizations and unionism, including global unionism, social movement unionism, community unionism, and syndicalist unionism, all of which have become increasingly relevant in a digitized world-system. At a time when the labour movement is said to be in crisis, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the state of the labour movement, the future of unions, and the possibilities for challenging corporate exploitation of workers today.

The Yellow Vest (Gilets Jaunes) protests that started in November 2018 have rocked French political culture and led critics to denounce the movement as being a threat to democracy, or worse. Among other things the protestors were accused of being barbarians, philistines, racists, anti-Semites and reactionaries who would destroy both France and European civilization. In fact, this book argues that the protests must be understood as part of a wave of protests against the extension of the market into all areas of social life that have been taking place around the world since the 1980s. While the Yellow Vest protests embrace a range of actors that cut across the French political spectrum the agenda that rapidly emerged from the movement in the shape of the 'People's Directive' shows that it is a broadly progressive protest that has articulated radical ideas and practices with a view to transforming French political culture by means of direct democracy. The end goal is to be a new social order which is environmentally sustainable and built around principles of social justice. In this respect its ideas and actions are a challenge to mainstream French political culture.

What have Evelyn Waugh, George Orwell, Peter Cook, Spike Milligan and, more recently, Chris Morris got in common? They are all Tory anarchists - which sounds like a contradiction in terms - but Peter Wilkin explains why it is not. Surely conservatism and anarchism are opposites? Tories respect and venerate tradition whilst anarchists want to smash the system. And how can figures as politically distinct as George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh be similar? Part dandy, part fogey, part anti-establishment satirist, sometime nostalgist for lost empire, the Tory anarchist is a walking contradiction, with only his distrust of all politicians, ideologies and utopias to keep him together. From Cobbett and Swift through to Chris Morris, The Strange Case of Tory Anarchism explores an awkward strain of good-old-fashioned Englishness that refuses to conform.

Recent debates surrounding human security have focused on the satisfaction of human needs as the vital goal for global development. Peter Wilkin highlights the limitations of this view and argues that unless we incorporate an account of human autonomy into human security then the concept is flawed. He reveals how human security is a concern with social relations that connect people in local, national and global networks of power, structured through capitalism and hierarchical inter-state systems. Autonomy, as an aspect of human security, depends upon the ability of citizens to gain information about the processes that shape their lives. In this respect autonomy and communication are inherently linked and are prerequisites for the establishment of meaningful democratic systems. To what extent do developments in global communication enhance or undermine autonomy? As the world's media companies continue to merge, we are moving towards an ever more commercially driven system of global information. Wilkin argues that private ownership provides an increasingly powerful obstacle to human autonomy, and that the neo-liberal institutional and policy framework - now a global tendency - raises major problems for the attainment of human security. At the same time it has provided the ideological justification for the extension of private power into ever wider areas of public life. Changes in global communication reflect wider tendencies to enhance the power of global elites at the expense of working people and the author illustrates how and why these changes have taken place and the forms of opposition that have arisen in response to them.

This volume brings together a group of authors who share a common concern with the effects of globalization on the South. Included among these effects is the accelerating erosion of the social, economic and political significance of the territorial distinction on which the terms South and North are founded. The authors' aim is explicit: to offer a unique perspective on globalization which places the transformation of the South and the renewed global organization of inequality at the heart of our understanding of the global order.

This volume brings together a group of authors who share a common concern with the effects of globalization on the South. Included among these effects is the accelerating erosion of the social, economic and political significance of the territorial distinction on which the terms South and North are founded. The authors' aim is explicit: to offer a unique perspective on globalization which places the transformation of the South and the renewed global organization of inequality at the heart of our understanding of the global order.

'This book is a much welcome tonic for public administration. It is one of the few books that explicitly focus on how audit institutions carry out their performance auditing responsibilities. While auditors will likely read this, the authors have geared the book to a broader readership, including public managers who are often the subject of performance audits.' -From the foreword by Paul Posner, George Mason University, US This state-of-the-art book examines the development of performance audit, drawing on the experience in a number of different countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The expert contributors identify the trajectory of performance audit, examine how it is conducted and consider what it is contributing to effective government. They conclude that, in the face of new challenges, performance auditors should focus both on their core responsibilities to ensure accountability, and continue to develop more insightful and sophisticated approaches to enable them to assess the growing complexity of the delivery of public services. By doing so, they can continue to play a valuable role in democratic accountability. Providing an up-to-date overview and discussion of performance audit, this highly topical book will appeal to all those working within audit, academics working in the fields of public management and public administration, as well practitioners in and close to state audit institutions. Members of Parliament, evaluators, internal auditors, researchers, policy analysts and consultants will also find this book invaluable. Contributors: E. Bechberger, R. Boyle, M. Funkhouser, J.-E. Furubo, J. Keen, F.L. Leeuw, T. Ling, J. Lonsdale, V. Put, A. Scharaschkin, R. Turksema, P. van der Knaap, E. Van Loocke, K. Weets, P. Wilkins

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ The Life And Adventures Of Peter Wilkins: Or, The History Of The Flying Islanders, Taken From His Own Mouth, In His Passage To England, From Off Cape Horn In America, In The Hector, Volume 2; The Life And Adventures Of Peter Wilkins: Or, The History Of The Flying Islanders, Taken From His Own Mouth, In His Passage To England, From Off Cape Horn In America, In The Hector; Peter Wilkins Robert Paltock, Peter Wilkins Baker & Alexander, R. Colton, printer, Woodstock, Vt., 1828 Literary Criticism; European; English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Literary; Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Travel / General; Voyages, Imaginary

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfectionssuch as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed worksworldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ The Life And Adventures Of Peter Wilkins: Taken From His Own Mouth, In His Passage To England Peter Wilkins T. Dewhurst, 1848 Travel; Essays & Travelogues; Travel / Essays & Travelogues; Voyages, Imaginary

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ The Life And Adventures Of Peter Wilkins: Containing An Account Of His Visit To The Flying Islanders, Taken From His Own Mouth, In His Passage To England, From Off Cape Horn, In America, In The Ship Hector Robert Paltock, Peter Wilkins S. Andrus, 1848 Voyages, Imaginary

Global politics in the information age presents a provocative and wide-ranging introduction to the notion that information technologies are creating new formations of power, control and resistance across the planet. The essays - ranging from the language used by the Bush administration to shape the war on terror, the attempts to control the circulation of informational products, the strategies of media management deployed to shape how the war in Iraq during 2003 was presented in the public sphere, through to the attempts to 'brand' economic globalisation and strategies of resistance developed by the anti-globalisation movement - unearth the new transformations that are unfolding in the twenty first century. -- .