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Portugal in the Twenty-First Century: Politics, Society, and
Economics, edited by Sebastian Royo, reflects on the legacies of
authoritarianism on the democratization process and addresses
issues related to Portugal's integration into the European Union,
with the perspective offered by its twenty-three years of
membership. Portugal in the Twenty-First Century reflects on what
has happened in the country and in Europe during the last three
decades. The analysis is divided into two sections: political and
sociological perspectives, and economic and social perspectives.
The contributors identify basic changes in the economy and society
of Portugal that occurred as a result of the democratization and
European integration processes. They also assess the impact that
these changes have had on the quality of Portuguese democracy, and
on the country's economic development. Royo's collection reflects
on how far Portugal has come since the Carnation Revolution in 1974
in order to better understand where it is headed now, at the dawn
of the twenty-first century. Portugal in the Twenty-First Century:
Politics, Society, and Economics, edited by Sebastian Royo,
provides an original series of analyses of the development of
Portuguese politics, sociology, and economics since the transition
to democracy and the accession to the European Union. Drawing on
the research by established scholars, Royo offers an up-to-date
assessment of Portuguese political and economic issues. It is
essential reading for those interested in understanding
contemporary Portugal.
At a time of growing concern over the fate of contemporary
democracy this book shows how vast differences between countries in
forms of political conduct, and taken for granted assumptions,
determine what democracies actually accomplish. In Democratic
Practice, Robert M. Fishman elucidates why some democracies include
the economically underprivileged, and cultural others within the
circles of political relevance that set policies and the political
agenda, whereas others exclude them. On the basis of in-depth
research on Portugal and Spain, Fishman develops a theoretically
innovative explanation for the breadth of democratic inclusion and
draws out large implications for democracies everywhere. Democratic
Practice examines the record of two countries that began the
worldwide turn to democracy in the 1970s, showing how and why basic
assumptions about what democracy is, and how political actors
should treat one another, diverged. The book offers detailed
empirical evidence on how an inclusive approach to democratic
politics provides major benefits not only for the poor and excluded
but also for others, drawing large lessons for contemporary
democracies.
The Year of the Euro examines the wide-ranging importance of
Europe's new single currency beyond its impact on financial markets
and the economy itself. On January 1, 2002, when the new currency
began to circulate in the twelve participating member states of the
European Union, the long move toward a supranational European
framework for trade and institutions finally entered the fabric of
daily life for hundreds of millions of citizens. The contributing
authors to this highly readable and interdisciplinary volume offer
a variety of perspectives on this extraordinary episode in currency
change and European convergence. The book's essays offer the
assessments of leading scholars of European affairs-from the fields
of history, political science, sociology, and law-as to whether the
new common currency will reshape the continent's cultures,
societies and political systems and, if so, in what ways. The
discussions and debates found in these pages will inform those,
within and outside academia, who are interested in the future of
Europe and in the meaning of national currencies. The volume is
also suitable for classroom use in courses on the European Union,
cultural and economic sociology, comparative politics, and
contemporary Europe.
At a time of growing concern over the fate of contemporary
democracy this book shows how vast differences between countries in
forms of political conduct, and taken for granted assumptions,
determine what democracies actually accomplish. In Democratic
Practice, Robert M. Fishman elucidates why some democracies include
the economically underprivileged, and cultural others within the
circles of political relevance that set policies and the political
agenda, whereas others exclude them. On the basis of in-depth
research on Portugal and Spain, Fishman develops a theoretically
innovative explanation for the breadth of democratic inclusion and
draws out large implications for democracies everywhere. Democratic
Practice examines the record of two countries that began the
worldwide turn to democracy in the 1970s, showing how and why basic
assumptions about what democracy is, and how political actors
should treat one another, diverged. The book offers detailed
empirical evidence on how an inclusive approach to democratic
politics provides major benefits not only for the poor and excluded
but also for others, drawing large lessons for contemporary
democracies.
Building on one of sociology's core ideas--that social use can
shape collective outcomes--Democracy's Voices shows that
connections across class boundaries can remake public rhetoric and
thus the quality of democratic life. Robert M. Fishman takes up a
question of enduring significance to people concerned with the
quality of democratic public life, focusing on why political
rhetoric proves engaging and broadly relevant, or disengaging and
narrow. The answer to that question, he argues, is to be found not
only in the deeds of prominent politicians and the nature of
official institutions but also in the existence and the character
of social connections among ordinary citizens. Fishman's book,
based on long-term fieldwork and systematic survey research in
Spam, identifies the special contribution to democratic quality
made by conversations between intellectuals and workers. Fishman
focuses on what he calls the "discursive horizons" of local leaders
and communities: the actual location of the problems and proposed
remedies articulated in political rhetorics. Democracy's Voices
shows how the subcultural context of social ties may accentuate or
diminish their power to reshape rhetorics. Fishman argues that
conversations are able to remake public rhetorics whereas ties that
take the form of brokerage lack that ability. The book also offers
a general critique of social capital theory and argues that the
full ability of social ties to shape collective outcomes can only
be observed when one distinguishes in useful ways among types of
ties.
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