Comparative politics Books

Book SynopsisA widely read and influential text in its own day, P.-J. Proudhon’s Du Principe federatif is now often overlooked by students of federalism. Yet the book’s theoretical and general chapters, in the first English translation, can claim to be considered a key text for the history of federalist thinking. Standing at the point of intersection between the anarchist and federalist traditions, they make a passionate case for federalism as the political order which gives the fullest possible expression to liberty – indeed, as the only political order in which liberty can be preserved: ‘The twentieth century will open the age of federations, or else humanity will undergo another purgatory of a thousand years.’Proudhon’s federal principle is a radically decentralist one, which contrasts sharply with modern pictures of federalism at many points, what Proudhon calls a ‘federal’ system is what many, today, would regard as the

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Book SynopsisWhy are some countries less corrupt and better governed than others? Challenging conventional explanations on the remarkable differences in quality of government worldwide, this book argues that the organization of bureaucracy is an often overlooked but critical factor. Countries where merit-recruited employees occupy public bureaucracies perform better than those where public employees owe their post to political connections. The book provides a coherent theory of why, and ample evidence showing that meritocratic bureaucracies are conducive to lower levels of corruption, higher government effectiveness, and more flexibility to adopt modernizing reforms. Data comes from both a novel dataset on the bureaucratic structures of over 100 countries as well as from narratives of particular countries, with a special focus on the relationship between politicians and bureaucrats in Spain and Sweden. A notable contribution to the literature in comparative politics and public policy on good governTrade Review'In this impressive book, Dahlstrom and Lapuente think deeply about the organization of the state and the quality of government. They argue that a productive structuring of the relationship between politicians and civil servants minimizes corruption and inefficiency. They explore this relationship with terrific case examples and data on more than 100 countries around the world. It is a terrific example of research that carefully builds bridges across literatures to provide new insights on big questions.' David E. Lewis, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee'Dahlstrom and Lapuente succeed in making the study of public bureaucracy central to future research in comparative politics and political economy. They provide considerable and compelling theoretical and empirical evidence for their claim that merit selection is even more important than rules and regulations in both constraining corruption and in improving policy and practice. Theirs is a significant contribution to understanding the variation in the performance of democratic governments. In this era of increasing anti-government populism, they provide hope that at least democracies will be able to continue to perform at high levels and according to the best scientific evidence available.' Margaret Levi, Stanford University, CaliforniaTable of Contents1. Why relations between politicians and bureaucrats matter; 2. Theory; 3. A closed Weberian bureaucracy; 4. Corruption; 5. Effectiveness; 6. Reforms; 7. Conclusions.

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Book SynopsisComparative scholarship on judicial review has paid a lot of attention to the causal impact of politics on judicial decision-making. However, the slower-moving, macro-social process through which judicial review influences societal conceptions of the law/politics relation is less well understood. Drawing on the political science literature on institutional change, The Politico-Legal Dynamics of Judicial Review tests a typological theory of the evolution of judicial review regimes - complexes of legitimating ideas about the law/politics relation. The theory posits that such regimes tend to conform to one of four main types - democratic or authoritarian legalism, or democratic or authoritarian instrumentalism. Through case studies of Australia, India, and Zimbabwe, and a comparative chapter analyzing ten additional societies, the book then explores how actually-existing judicial review regimes transition between these types. This process of ideational development, Roux concludes, is distTrade Review'Theunis Roux's The Politico-Legal Dynamics of Judicial Review develops a path-breaking theory, one which integrates legal reasoning and culture with political theories of judicial behavior. His ambitious argument offers important new insights into the dynamics of both well-studied and lesser-known legal systems.' David Landau, Mason Ladd Professor, Associate Dean for International Programs, Florida State University College of Law'Ever since the consolidation of the study of the politics of judicial review – in the mid 1990s – scores of scholars have contributed to this field, with insightful works aiming at explaining the emergence and impact of this phenomenon. In this learned, and elegantly written book, Theunis Roux takes one step ahead through the development of an attractive typology of what he calls 'judicial review regimes', a conceptual tool that he uses to analyze the politico-legal dynamics of this phenomenon, that is to say, the macrosocial processes that the adoption of judicial review sets in motion in both democratic and authoritarian societies. In a time when the optimism about the democratic and emancipatory impact of judicial review is under scrutiny – due to troubling developments in countries such as Hungary, Poland, and Chile – Roux's work represents an indispensable contribution.' Javier Couso, Universidad Diego Portales and Utrecht University'In this impressive contribution to the field of comparative constitutional studies, Theunis Roux insightfully examines the ways in which ideas about why governors are entitled to rule interact with ideas about why judges are entitled to exercise power – sometimes interlocking into stable regimes of constitutional review, and sometimes shifting incrementally or kaleidoscopically. The taxonomy Roux develops will be enormously helpful to all those interested in understanding the conditions under which liberal constitutionalism emerges and persists.' Mark Tushnet, Harvard Law School, Massachusetts'A major contribution to the burgeoning field of comparative constitutional law. Roux draws on broad theoretical constructs and practical inquiries in national legal settings to address the freighted questions of what constitutional courts are supposed to do, and how likely they are to do it successfully. The result ramps up the sophistication of the field for the benefit of all participants.' Samuel Issacharoff, New York University School of Law'In his new book, Roux beats a new path for comparative studies – integrating institutional analysis with how lawyers in different systems actually think about law, politics and judicial legitimacy. This is a book we have long been waiting for, setting out an agenda for comparative constitutionalism 2.0.' Michaela Hailbronner, University of Muenster'How do constitutional cultures evolve and change character over time? In this impressive new work, Roux explores how judicial review in democratic and authoritarian regimes both influences and is influenced by public conceptions of the law/politics relationship. The book is rich in theory, and comparative case-studies, and provides a unique framework for understanding the intersection between constitutional law and politics. It deserves a wide audience in both fields, and especially among those interested in understanding moments of constitutional change and transition worldwide.' Rosalind Dixon, University of New South Wales, SydneyTable of Contents1. Preliminaries; 2. A typographical theory of JR-regime change; 3. Australian democratic legalism: constant cultural cause or path-dependent trajectory?; 4. From democratic legalism to instrumentalism: India's constitutional cultural transformation; 5. The post-colonial adaptation of authoritarian legalism in Zimbabwe; 6. Testing the typological theory; 7. Findings and implications.

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Book SynopsisThis is an ambitious comparative study of regime consolidation in the ''revolutionary'' People''s Republic of China and the ''conservative'' Republic of China (Taiwan) in the years following the communist victory against the nationalists on the Chinese mainland in 1949.Julia C. Strauss argues that accounting for these two variants of the Chinese state solely in terms of their divergent ideology and institutions fails to recognise their similarities and their relative successes.Both, after all, emerged from a common background of Leninist party organization amid civil war and foreign invasion. However, by the mid-1950s they were on clearly different trajectories of state-building and development. Focusing on Sunan and Taiwan, Strauss considers state personnel, the use of terror and land reform to explore the evolution of these revolutionary and conservative regimes between 1949 and 1954. In so doing, she sheds important new light on twentieth-century political change in East Asia, deepeTrade Review'A meticulously researched and elegantly presented study of state consolidation in mainland China and Taiwan. By shrinking the mainland geographic focus to Sunan, where the social roots of the communists were relatively weak, Strauss exploits rich archival data and builds analytical leverage to illuminate commonalities and differences in strategies of the two states as outsiders after 1949.' Melanie Manion, Duke University, North Carolina'Historians have long recognized that for all their mutual hostility and apparent ideological opposition, the two regimes on either side of the Taiwan Strait after 1949 actually had much in common. In this provocative and impressively researched work, Julia C. Strauss treats this parallelism as a kind of natural experiment in state consolidation, which she analyzes to produce more general insight into how new states pursue their agendas.' Michael Szonyi, Harvard University, Massachusetts'Strauss (Univ. of London) has authored a fascinating comparison of two variants of the Chinese party-state in the mid-20th century.' S. C. Hart, Choice'Overall, an excellent book, well worth the attention that it will receive from both historians of modern China and political scientists interested in state formation.' Carl Minzner, Journal of Chinese Political ScienceTable of ContentsIntroduction. Modalities of state building and institution building: bureaucracies, campaigns, and performance; 1. Virtue and talent in making Chinese states: heroes and technocrats in Sunan and Taiwan, 1949–1954; 2. Comparative terror in regime consolidation: Sunan and Taiwan, 1949–1954; 3. Performing terror: lenience, legality, and the dramaturgy of the consolidating state; 4. Repertoires of land reform campaigns in Sunan and Taiwan, 1950–1954; 5. Theatres of land reform: bureaucracy, campaign, and the show, 1950–1954; Conclusion; Appendix: list of interviewees; Documentary collections, reports, and periodicals.

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Book SynopsisMarkus Kornprobst examines the common assumption that states usually respond to crises individually, rather than together. He develops an innovative approach to analyse how crisis co-management comes to succeed or fail. He argues that actors draw from repertoires of taken-for-granted ideas, forming a set of pre-judgments. These are then revisited in justificatory encounters, making various degrees of co-management possible or impossible. This judging and justifying in turn leaves an impression on repertoires put to use for co-managing the next crisis. The author uses this model to analyse the attempts by France, Germany and the United Kingdom to co-manage the crises in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. He links individual reasoning and communication, paving the way for further research into crisis co-management, and providing novel insights into European attempts to act in international affairs.Trade Review'Written by a world leading constructivist thinker, this book combines intellectual sophistication with meticulous empirical analysis to provide a superb theoretical account of the co-management of international crises. A must read for scholars and practitioners of international relations.' Corneliu Bjola, University of Oxford'In this rich, theoretically rigorous and meticulously researched book, Markus Kornprobst brings forth the micro-foundations of crisis management, especially those involving multiple parties. This is an impressive and valuable contribution on a long-neglected subject and a must read for all those who are concerned about international crises and world order.' T. V. Paul, James McGill Professor of International Relations, McGill University, Canada and author of Restraining Great Powers: Soft Balancing from Empires to the Global Era'This is one of the first books which analyzes the co-management of major international crises by showing how the judgments of European decision-makers is highly dependent on the nature of their communication. A brilliant demonstration on how research can combine psychology of leaders and communication circuits to understand major international decisions.' Christian Lequesne, Sciences Po – CERI, Paris'This conceptually sophisticated and empirically rich study emphasizes the importance of reasoning and communication. Most crises involve multiple parties who must formulate and pursue common goals if they are to succeed. Drawing on literature in international relations, sociology, and psychology, Kornprobst develops an elegant and compelling theoretical framework that examines actor political beliefs and commitments, how they promote possible understandings of a challenge, efforts to communicate and justify these understandings, and subsequent reflection and possible reframings in the course of mutual interactions. He demonstrates the utility of the framework in crises confronted collectively by Britain, France, and Germany. The book should become a classic in the field.' Richard Ned Lebow, King's College London'… the stimulating perspective of Kornprobst genuinely connects theories of communicative action inspired by Jürgen Habermas with the work on social practices of Pierre Bourdieu, therefore demonstrating how profitable European social theories can be to students of IR.' Léonard Colomba-Petteng, European Review of International StudiesTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Judgments and justifications; 2. Constellation; 3. Bosnia and Herzegovina; 4. Kosovo; 5. Afghanistan; 6. Iraq; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisCarsten Jensen and Kees van Kersbergen are both Professors of Political Science at Aarhus University, Denmark.Trade Review"The Politics of Inequality is a timely and lively book that offers important insights about how people in rich democracies use political processes to distribute income and wealth across their populations. It can be read as an update and development of Inequality by Design, that crucial 1996 book by a distinguished team of Berkeley sociologists that demolished The Bell Curve. In the 2016 political debate, such moral arguments over inequality are with us again, and Carsten Jensen and Kees van Kersbergen have contributed a deep analysis of the contemporary political foundations of inequality, one that should be widely read, discussed, and debated." - Jason Beckfield, Harvard University, USA 'This is a superbly researched book and a must read for any student or scholar interested in the politics of inequality. It clearly shows that inequality is not something natural, but dependent on political choices.' - Martin Seeleib-Kaiser, University of Oxford, UKTable of Contents1. What is the Politics of Inequality? 2. Is There Something Morally Wrong With Inequality? 3. Why Should We Care About Inequality? 4. How to Measure Inequality? 5. What are the Empirical Patterns? 6. Does Inequality Matter for Growth? 7. What are the Roads to Riches? 8. Does the Welfare State Reduce Inequality? 9. Does Economic Inequality Lead to Political Inequality? 10. Who Decides in the Politics of Inequality? 11. What Future for the Politics of Inequality?

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Book SynopsisOne of the solutions proposed by the European Union to remedy the effects of the 2008 economic crisis is to increase female labour participation. This book explores the policy changes in four new member states that may reduce the gender employment gap and improve women's equal participation in the labour force.Trade Review'Drawing on rational choice, new institutional and feminist work, Ingrid Bego proposes a powerful new model for understanding contemporary democracy from her systematic qualitative analysis of the adoption AND implementation of two crucial areas of gender equality policy (reconciliation and equal employment) in four new member states of the EU: Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Latvia.' Amy G. Mazur, School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, Washington State University, USA 'Drawing on an innovative blend of rational choice and sociological institutional work, and applying a critical feminist lens, Ingrid Bego offers a rich empirical study of gender equality policy in the Eastern European countries acceding to the European Union. This book uses mixed methods to offer an important and much needed examination that is both rigorous and nuanced. This work should be of interest to scholars broadly interested in gender politics, institutions, and democratization, as well as those specifically interested in the European Union and Eastern Europe.' Celeste Montoya, Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, USA 'Ingrid Bego's Gender Equality Policy in the European Union: A Fast Track to Parity for the New Member States reclaims the core importance of domestic factors in conditioning the impact of European Union (EU) on its member states' policy and political practices. Its four in-depth country studies, of gender equality policy adoption and implementation in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Poland, are executed with exceptional care and clarity. More broadly, by placing gender equality at the center of post-communist transitions, it recalibrates our understanding of democratization and democracy itself.' Dr. Joseph Jupille, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Faculty Associate at the Institute of Behavioral Science, and Director of the Colorado European Union Center of Excellence (CEUCE), USATable of ContentsList of Tables List of Figures AcknowledgementsList of Abbreviations1. Introduction 2. Adoption and Implementation of Equal Employment Policies in Four Countries3. Beyond Employment: Addressing the Private and Public Divide through Reconciliation Policies4. The Role of Formal and Informal Institutions in the Policy Process 5. Modernization and Cultural Explanations with a Strong Dose of Communist Legacy6. Actors, Norms and Institutions: The Necessary Ingredients for a Successful Policy Model7. ConclusionAppendix: Summary of Directives under Study Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisJohn Street is a Professor of Politics at the University of East Anglia, UK. He has written extensively about the relationship between political communication, media and popular culture.Table of ContentsIntroduction PART I: REPRESENTING POLITICS Political Bias Telling Tales: The Reporting of Politics It's Just for Fun: Politics and Entertainment Media Effects PART II: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF MASS MEDIA State Control and State Propaganda Conglomerate Control: Media Moguls and Media Power Tech Giants and the Global Webs of Media Power Watchdogs or Lapdogs? The Politics of Journalism PART III: MASS MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY Transforming Political Communication? From Political Marketing to Celebrity Politics Digital Media, Digital Politics? Power and Mass Media A Free Press: Democracy and Mass Media Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisNamed one of the New Yorker''s Best Books of 2022An authoritative and intelligent portrait of the global spread of authoritarianism and its dangers...what sets [this] work apart from books like Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny and Michiko Kakutani's The Death of Truth is its unusually comprehensive armada of facts about the international drift over the past two decades toward authoritarian leaders, whether old-style dictators like Kim Jong Un or nominally elected presidents like Vladimir Putin. KirkusAn urgent, thrilling, and original look at the future of democracy that illuminates one of the most important battles of our time: the future of freedom and how to contain and defeat the autocrats mushrooming around the world.In his bestselling book The End of Power, Moisés Naím examined power-diluting forces. In The Revenge of Power, Naím turns to the trends, conditions, technologies and behaviors tha

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Book SynopsisThis volume provides a multidimensional assessment of the diverse ends of the European colonial empires, addressing different geographies, taking into account diverse chronologies of decolonization, and evaluating the specificities of each imperial configuration under appreciation (Portuguese, Belgian, French, British, Dutch).Trade Review'In this collection two ambitious Portuguese scholars assemble an impressive cast of contributors to rethink the demise - or reconfiguration - of European power in Africa. Eschewing morality plays and polemics for historical analysis, the authors add nuance and complexity to the decolonization, the most important phenomenon of 20th century history - making their book essential reading for the growing number of students interested in this crucial topic.' David C. Engerman, Brandeis University, USA 'It is perhaps surprising that decolonisation has remained stubbornly resistant to theorisation. Comparative analysis offers a means to redress things, making this collection especially valuable to researchers and students alike. Interrogating the meanings of decolonisation, its local and global implications, and its material consequences both foreseen and unforeseen, the essays in this collection complement one another well.' Martin Thomas, University of Exeter, UK 'With a range from the 1940s to the 1970s and beyond, the selection of distinguished and innovative younger historians guide the reader through conceptual issues in a way that is consistently compelling. The individual chapters are integrated into an overall, coherent account of a critical period in world history. A vital read for all those interested in the dissolution of the European colonial empires and the aftermath of decolonization.' Wm. Roger Louis, University of Texas, USATable of ContentsIntroduction: The Ends of Empire: Chronologies, Historiographies, and Trajectories; Miguel Bandeira Jerónimo and António Costa Pinto PART I: COMPETING DEVELOPMENTS: THE IDIOMS OF REFORM AND RESISTANCE 1. Development, Modernization, and the Social Sciences in the Era of Decolonization: The Examples of British and French Africa; Frederick Cooper 2. A Modernizing Empire? Politics, Culture and Economy in Portuguese Late Colonialism; Miguel Bandeira Jerónimo and António Costa Pinto 3. Commanders With or Without Machine-Guns: Robert Delavignette and the Future of the French-African 'Imperial Nation-State', 1956-58; Martin Shipway PART II: COMPARING ENDGAMES: THE MODI OPERANDI OF DECOLONIZATION 4. Imperial Endings and Small States: Disorderly Decolonization for Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal; Crawford Young 5. British, French and Portuguese Decolonization Compared: Political Culture and Strategic Options in Multilateral Consultations; Bruno Cardoso Reis 6. Exporting Britishness: Decolonisation in Africa, the British State and its Clients; Sarah Stockwell 7. Acceptable Levels? The Use and Threat of Violence in the Decolonization of British Central Africa, 1953-1965; Philip Murphy PART III: CONFRONTING INTERNATIONALS: THE (GEO)POLITICS OF DECOLONIZATION 8. Inside the Parliament of Man: Decolonization, Apartheid, and the Remaking of the United Nations, 1945-1970; Ryan Irwin 9. Cold War and Decolonisation in the Congo: Lumumba and the Neo-colonial Transfer of Power 1960; John Kent 10. The International Dimension of Portuguese Colonial Crisis, 1961-1968; Luís Nuno Rodrigues Last Days of Empire; John Darwin

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Book SynopsisEvery political system, either developed or adopted, has an impact on the structure of society and the level of development. This book analyzes the evolution and nature of political institutions and their effect on Africa's development. The challenges Africa face in developing viable institutions are not limited to the adoption of foreign institutions, but are also rooted in domestic norms that define society itself. Sometimes, these challenges have to do with the incompatibility between foreign and domestic institutions. The fundamental issue then is to understand the African societies, cultures, and other dynamics that have ensured stability in the past and that need to be recognized when adopting contemporary foreign institutions. This comprehensive text examines three key issue areas in Africa: politics, society, and economy. It demonstrates how the lack of consideration for domestic norms and societal realities explain the weaker institutions and lack of development on the AfricanTrade ReviewThe work by Ali Mazrui and Francis Wiafe-Amoako is an important contribution to our understanding of African institutions, in particular, and the study of institutions as a pivot around which societies hang together in general. . . .The book by Mazrui and Wife-Amoako provides an important frame of reference for understanding Africa’s future political paths and how the continent could play its role in the world. On the whole, the authors are hopeful about the prospects of democracy in Africa. Theirs is not banal hope characteristic of the mood swings in much of the analyses that one day see an Africa that is rising and the next see a hopeless continent. Their hope is grounded in analysis of trends over time, including the fact that military coups are receding, democratisation and economic progress are advancing in countries where institutions are solidifying and women are increasingly realising their political and economic roles in the continent. The analytical and argumentative manner in which the book is written makes it a fascinating and informative text on Africa’s institutions, their lack of maturity and the conditions that are necessary to ensure that they work optimally. * South African Journal of International Affairs *In 2009 President Barack Obama said, rightly in my view, that Africa didn’t need strong men, it needed strong institutions. Professor Ali Mazrui made almost the same point in 1970 in an article aptly titled “The Monarchical Tendency in African Political Culture”. He also grappled with the associated challenges. Now Mazrui’s numerous writings on the subject conveniently re-appear as multiple chapters in African Institutions, ably updated by Dr. Francis Wiafe-Amoako, the book’s co-author. The book is further enriched with Wiafe-Amoako’s own chapters. This is a timely book and an invaluable reference, most ideal for comparative politics, African studies and related fields. -- Seifudein Adem Ph.D, associate director, Institute of Global Cultural Studies, State University of New York, Binghamton, New YorkMuch of what the younger partner to the late Mazrui wrote are contained in our celebrated Mazruian. Yet, it should be stated categorically here that Ali himself was sufficiently impressed by Francis Wiafe-Amoako to break bread with him in their lifetime journey to identify for posterity what must be done to cultivate institutions in modern Africa. In this age of Facebook, CNN, the BBC, and the VOA, the living voice of Mazrui and his colleague Francis will reverberate in the firmaments of African thoughts. -- Sulayman S. Nyang, professor and chairman of the African Studies Department, Howard UniversityTable of ContentsChapter One: Institutions: An Introduction Francis Wiafe-Amoako Chapter Two: Democracide: Who killed democracy in Africa? Clues of the past, concerns of the future Ali A. Mazrui Chapter Three: Political Ideologies and Democratic Consolidation in Africa Francis Wiafe-Amoako Chapter Four: Gender Roles in Africa: Traditional versus Contemporary Institutions Ali A. Mazrui and Francis Wiafe-Amoako Chapter Five: Legitimacy and Rule: Africa in Search of a Political Order Francis Wiafe-Amoako Chapter Six: Democracy and the Politics of Petroleum: Comparative African Perspectives Ali A. Mazrui Chapter Seven: Uhuru Bado Kidogo : Africa’s condition of “Not Yet Uhuru” Ali A. Mazrui Chapter Eight: “Katiba Na Kabila”: If African Politics Are Ethnic-Prone, Can African Constitutions Be Ethnic-Proof? Ali A. Mazrui Resources About the Authors

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Book SynopsisIn the West, Belarus is generally thought of as the last dictatorship in Europe. However, this political stereotype neglects the roots of the country''s identityor identity crisis. In this fascinating study of unfinished nation-building in Belarus, Grigory Ioffe draws on his two dozen research trips to the country to trace Belarus''s history, geography, political situation, society, and economy. The book highlights rapid economic growth in post-1996 Belarus and the underpinnings of the country''s political landscape. The United States has ostracized official Belarus since the mid-1990s and has repeatedly condemned President Lukashenka''s undemocratic ways. However, his presidency has been stable since 1994, and since 2002 he has been successfully reshaping himself from an unabashed Russophile into a kind of Belarusian nationalist. Nevertheless, the Belarusian nation is not yet a defined entitymany Belarusians are not yet certain as to what sets them apart from Russians, and a multiplicTrade ReviewThe scholarly component in this volume is impressively high, making it perhaps the best study in English of a little-known and under-researched country. . . . [Ioffe] bears an immense knowledge of things Belarusian . . . [and] he sheds much needed light on the polity, economy, and society actually obtaining in [Belarus]. * Eurasian Geography and Economics *An important and timely book, articulating topical and emerging issues in Belarusian studies. . . . [Ioffe] takes a critical look at the established views on such issues as Belarusian identity, language use (Belarusian versus Russian), relations with Russia (unification versus independence), Aliaksandar Lukashenka as a political figure (the reasons behind his genuine popularity among his people and his rejection by the west, despite the west’s acceptance of some much less democratic Central Asian leaders), the growth of the Belarusian economy . . . and, finally, the projections for the opposition. . . . [A] carefully researched and significant book that tries 'to understand Belarus on its own terms.’ * Slavic Review *Effortlessly captivates a much broader audience and essentially calls 'well-known truths’ about the country into question. Understanding Belarus is a book about challenging facts, challenging qualifications and polemic conclusions, a book that touches one personally. . . . It craftily weaves together Belarus’ complicated domestics with its foreign relations, in addition to critically assessing the logic of international society. . . . Ioffe successfully manages to turn Belarus’ regime 'inside-out’ to expose its sui generis logic of survival that responds to the often inflexible politics of great powers. * Nationalities Papers *Grigory Ioffe's thorough and extremely insightful study . . . provides a balanced, well-structured and information introduction to the nature of nation-building and the political regime in contemporary Belarus. * Europe-Asia Studies *Grigory Ioffe’s Understanding Belarus and How Western Foreign Policy Misses the Mark is a profound, learned book that will force the reader to question the conventional dogmas about the meaning of democracy in post-Soviet space. Lucidly written, carefully researched, and extraordinarily insightful about the unique dynamics of emerging Belarusian nationalism, this book is a must-read for any scholar of Belarus or post-Soviet countries. -- Ilya Prizel, University of PittsburghGrigory Ioffe set as his goal to create a 'less ideological and more open approach' to an understanding of the history, politics, social system, and economy of Belarus. He has succeeded in producing a persuasive alternative to the well-known earlier interpretations by Jan Zaprudnik and David Marples. Ioffe’s main focus is on the search for Belarusian identity and an explanation of its peculiar relationship to Russia both historically and contemporaneously. Belarus remains for most of us dimly illuminated and something of an enigma. Good policy toward Belarus needs to be founded on a solid understanding, which Grigory Ioffe has provided in this very useful volume. -- James R. Millar, The George Washington UniversityGrigory Ioffe is perhaps our most insightful analyst of contemporary Belarus, and this is a distinguished study that brings together the insights of first-hand experience and the wider concerns of social science. In particular, this is a study that allows him to explore at length the complex nature of the identity of a small European nation that has historically been torn between East and West. All who are interested in the future of European politics as well as the development of the former Soviet republics will want to read this rich and provocative analysis. -- Stephen White, University of GlasgowTable of ContentsChapter 1: Questions of Language Chapter 2: A Search for Identity Chapter 3: Culture Wars, Soul Searching, and Belarusian Identity Chapter 4: Belarusian Economy Chapter 5: Belarusian Political Landscape Chapter 6: Alexander Lukashenka and His Detractors Chapter 7: Opinion Polls and Presidential Elections in Belarus Conclusion

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Book SynopsisEstablished in 2002, the Euro is now the currency of 17 countries used by over 335 million people daily. Although the single currency is much discussed in terms of macroeconomics and global finances, policymakers rarely address its impact on European citizenship in social, cultural, political, and everyday life economics terms. This hidden side of the single currency is the focus of the essays, which use various approaches, from economic history and political sociology to citizenship and legitimacy, to reveal the connections between the Euro and European citizenship. This timely contribution by renowned experts provides a greater understanding of the Euro at a time when it is not clear whether it should be celebrated or commemorated, and looks into aspects of the single currency that are the base of the social trust that supports it and that is at stake in the present crisis. It will be an essential tool to anyone studying the political, social, and economic development of the E.U.Trade ReviewGiovanni Moro's innovative volume examines the crucial but neglected relationship between currency space and political identities in Europe. Its contributors explore very effectively how the project to create "one money" in Europe was linked to the emergence of not just "one market" but also "one people". The eurozone crisis has only reinforced the importance of their message that the study of money must never be left just to economists. -- Eric Helleiner, Faculty of Arts Chair in International Political Economy , Department of Political Science, University of Waterloo, UKThis timely book intends to probe the connection between the single currency and the predicament of European citizenship by asking from various perspectives an intricate question: when the Euro talks, does it tell a story? Whenever citizenship is at stake, as it obvious is in the European constitution-building process, it is always vested in narratives of identity deployed and redeployed at the level of individual and collective memories and expectations. Cogently selected and proficiently introduced by Giovanni Moro, these fourteen essays constitute a relevant resource for those, scholars and policymakers alike, concerned by the prospects of both the Euro zone and the European Union. -- Daniel Barbu, Professor of Political Science, University of Bucharest, RomaniaTable of ContentsIntroduction Giovanni Moro Part I. The Multiple Links between the Single Currency and European Citizenship 1. Building Citizenship in the Post-Modern Era Giovanni Moro, Lucia Mazzuca and Roberto Ranucci 2. Imaginary Europe: the Euro as Symbol and Practice Kathleen McNamara 3. The Only Wealth are Human Beings: Currency Between Economy and Citizenship Thierry Vissol 4. Trust in Euro: The Single Currency as Social Construction of an Institutional Fact Matthias Kaelberer 5. The Unintended "Litmus Test": The Euro as factor of Center-Formation, Trust Enhancement, Identity Building Daniela Piana 6. The Euro in Scientific and Policy Literature Lucia Mazzuca, Roberto Ranucci Part II. The Single Currency and the Construction of European Identity 7. Two Sides of the Same Coin? The Euro and Europeanization of Collective Identities Thomas Risse 8. Why Money Can't Buy Democracy: On the Detachment of the Euro from Citizenship Eva Heidbreder 9. Representations of Identity: Euro and Dollar as Identity Builder Arianna Montanari Part III. European Citizenship in the Euro Turmoil 10. In the Light and Shadow of the Single Currency: European Identity and Citizenship, Political and Social Vivien Schmidt 11. One Currency, Two Faces, Many Problems: The Euro, European Citizenship and Cultural Politics of EMU Cris Shore 12. Between Natural and Moral Order of Things: The Euro and the Problem of Agency Victor Pérez-Diàz 13. Between Illusion and Disillusion: Public Opinion Facing the Euro Crisis Nando Pagnoncelli 14. Back to the Future? The Euro and the Silent Constitution Building Dario Castiglione Conclusion: The Way Forward Giovanni Moro

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Book SynopsisWhy Democracy Needs the Rich challenges the prevailing narrative that wealth undermines democracy, offering a bold, thought-provoking case for the essential role of the rich in sustaining and enhancing democratic institutions. In a time when billionaires are often vilified as symbols of inequality and unchecked power, John O. McGinnis flips the script, arguing that the wealthy are not just vital contributors to innovation and economic growth but also indispensable counterbalances to the influence of other powerful groups. Drawing on history, economics, and political philosophy, McGinnis illustrates how the rich act as stabilizers in a democracy by funding civic institutions, championing diverse ideas, and driving technological progress. He reveals how wealth can counteract the sway of ideologically homogeneous elites in media, academia, and entertainment while serving as a check on the excesses of special interest groups and bureaucracies. With sharp analysis and compelling examples, this book explores the unique role of the wealthy in preserving the balance and dynamism of a free society. It highlights how their financial independence fosters ideological diversity and their investments fuel advancements that benefit all citizens, not just the elite. Far from being a defense of inequality, Why Democracy Needs the Rich is a powerful argument for understanding how wealth, in the right context, strengthens the foundations of representative democracy and fosters a more resilient, vibrant society.

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