Comparative politics Books

Book SynopsisCo-authored by four high-profile International Relations scholars, this book investigates the implications of the global ascent of China on cross-Strait relations and the identity of Taiwan as a democratic state. Examining an array of factors that affect identity formation, the authors consider the influence of the rapid military and economic rise of China on Taiwan’s identity. Their assessment offers valuable insights into which policies have the best chance of resulting in peaceful relations and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and builds a new theory of identity at elite and mass levels. It also possesses implications for the United States-led world order and today’s most critical great power competition.Table of ContentsIdentity in the Shadow of a Giant: How the Rise of China Is Changing Taiwan Taiwan in Historical Perspective The Problématique of Taiwanese Identity Theorizing about Identity, Change in Capabilities and Dyadic Relations: An Approach Based on Analytic Eclecticism and Systemism Elite Reflections Popular Reflections (Survey I) Factors Influencing Identifying Only as Taiwanese: A Layered Empirical Approach (Survey II) A New Vision of Taiwanese Identity, the Rise of China, Cross-Strait Relations and the United States in Northeast Asia

Read more less

Book SynopsisCo-authored by four high-profile International Relations scholars, this book investigates the implications of the global ascent of China on cross-Strait relations and the identity of Taiwan as a democratic state. Examining an array of factors that affect identity formation, the authors consider the influence of the rapid military and economic rise of China on Taiwan’s identity. Their assessment offers valuable insights into which policies have the best chance of resulting in peaceful relations and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and builds a new theory of identity at elite and mass levels. It also possesses implications for the United States-led world order and today’s most critical great power competition.Table of ContentsIdentity in the Shadow of a Giant: How the Rise of China Is Changing Taiwan Taiwan in Historical Perspective The Problématique of Taiwanese Identity Theorizing about Identity, Change in Capabilities and Dyadic Relations: An Approach Based on Analytic Eclecticism and Systemism Elite Reflections Popular Reflections (Survey I) Factors Influencing Identifying Only as Taiwanese: A Layered Empirical Approach (Survey II) A New Vision of Taiwanese Identity, the Rise of China, Cross-Strait Relations and the United States in Northeast Asia

Read more less

Book SynopsisMatt Ryan’s landmark comparative review of participatory budgeting, or collective decisions on how public money is spent, reveals the factors behind its success in achieving democratic engagement. The culmination of ten years of research into participation, this is a systematic analysis of how, when and why citizens gain control over these important decisions. Comparing global examples of both positive change and notable failure, the book provides persuasive evidence and guidance for future public involvement in taxation and spending. For advocates and participants of democratic reform and those with interests across political science, this is an essential guide to one of the most significant democratic innovations of our times.Table of ContentsPart I 1. Understanding Participation as a Response to Democratic Deficits 2. Participatory Budgeting: How Do We Understand Exceptional Democracy? 3. From Exceptions to Cases of a Participatory Budgeting Phenomenon Part II 4. Comparing Participation Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis 5. What Participatory Democrats Expect Part III 6. Necessary Conditions for Democratic Reform 7. Success: How Citizen Control of Politics is Achieved 8. How Citizen Control of Politics is Negated, and the Puzzles that Remain 9. Conclusion: Democratic Innovations after the Beginning

Read more less

Book SynopsisLeading governance theorist Jonathan S. Davies develops a rich comparative analysis of austerity governance and resistance in eight cities, to establish a conjunctural perspective on the rolling crises of neoliberal globalism. Drawing on a major international study of eight cities, Davies employs Gramscian regime analysis to consider the consolidation, weakening and transformation of urban governance regimes through the age of austerity. He explores how urban governance shapes variations in austere neoliberalism, tackling themes including collaboration, dominance, resistance and counter-hegemony. The book is a significant addition to thinking about how the era of austerity politics influences urban governance today, and the potential for alternative urban futures.Table of ContentsStudying Urban Political (Dis)Orders Dynamics of Crisis, Neoliberalisation and Austerity Austerity and State Rescaling Consolidating Neoliberal Austerity Regimes Regime Divergence and the Limits of Austere Neoliberalism Resisting Austerity: Resonant Solidarities and Small Wins The ‘Activity of Ruling Groups’: Containment, De-mobilisation and Fragmentation Reading the Conjuncture: (Dis)Ordering Dynamics in the Crises of Neoliberal Globalism Afterword: Into the Pandemic

Read more less

Book SynopsisLeading governance theorist Jonathan S. Davies develops a rich comparative analysis of austerity governance and resistance in eight cities, to establish a conjunctural perspective on the rolling crises of neoliberal globalism. Drawing on a major international study of eight cities, Davies employs Gramscian regime analysis to consider the consolidation, weakening and transformation of urban governance regimes through the age of austerity. He explores how urban governance shapes variations in austere neoliberalism, tackling themes including collaboration, dominance, resistance and counter-hegemony. The book is a significant addition to thinking about how the era of austerity politics influences urban governance today, and the potential for alternative urban futures.Table of ContentsStudying Urban Political (Dis)Orders Dynamics of Crisis, Neoliberalisation and Austerity Austerity and State Rescaling Consolidating Neoliberal Austerity Regimes Regime Divergence and the Limits of Austere Neoliberalism Resisting Austerity: Resonant Solidarities and Small Wins The ‘Activity of Ruling Groups’: Containment, De-mobilisation and Fragmentation Reading the Conjuncture: (Dis)Ordering Dynamics in the Crises of Neoliberal Globalism Afterword: Into the Pandemic

Read more less

Book SynopsisParliamentary diplomacy has provided a crucial, promising outlet in Taiwan’s challenging pursuit of its own interests in the international arena. This book assesses both the potentials and the constraints of parliamentary diplomacy for Taiwan. Through a comparative perspective, and using evidence from the relations of the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan with the US Congress and the European Parliament, the authors investigate the implementation of parliamentary diplomacy in Taiwan and its impact in Taiwan’s foreign policy. In their analysis, the authors draw vital lessons that will have important implications for other entities which have similar challenges and aspirations.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. About Parliamentary Diplomacy 3. Unrecognised and Unrepresented States 4. Taiwan 5. Taiwan's Parliamentary Diplomacy 6. Barrier's Surrounding Taiwan's Parliamentary Diplomacy 7. Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisAusterity is not always one-size-fits-all; it can be a flexible, class-based strategy taking several forms depending on the political-economic forces and institutional characteristics present. This important book identifies continuity and variety in crisis-driven austerity restructuring across Canada, Denmark, Ireland and Spain. In their analysis, the authors focus on several components of austerity, including fiscal and monetary policy, budget narratives, public sector reform, labor market flexibilization, and resistance. In so doing, they uncover how austerity can be categorized into different dynamic types, and expose the economic, social, and political implications of the varieties of austerity.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Theoretical Framework and Empirics; Political Economy of Debt and Finance; Politics of Public Money; Public Sector Restructuring; Labour Market Flexibility and Restructuring; Institutionalizing Precarity and Low Wage Work; Resistance and Its Limits; Conclusion.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBringing together leading scholars from Asia and the West, this book investigates how the dynamics of China’s rise in world politics contributes to theory-building in International Relations (IR). The book demonstrates how the complex and transformative nature of China’s advancement is also a point of departure for theoretical innovation and reflection in IR more broadly. In doing so, the volume builds a strong case for a genuinely global and post-Western IR. It contends that ‘non-Western’ countries should not only be considered potential sources of knowledge production, but also original and legitimate focuses of IR theorizing in their own right.Table of ContentsIntroduction The Rise of China and Its Challenges to International Relations Theory - Chengxin Pan and Emilian Kavalski PART I: Theorizing China’s Rise: Beyond Eurocentric Knowledge Production 1 Putting China in the World: From Universal Theory to Contextual Theorizing - John Agnew 2 Heart and Soul for World Politics: Advaita Monism and Daoist Trialectics in International Relations - L.H.M. Ling 3 What Can Guanxi International Relations Be About? - Emilian Kavalski 4 Friendly Rise? China, the West and the Ontology of Relations - Astrid H.M. Nordin and Graham M. Smith 5 Re-worlding the ‘West’ in Post-Western International Relations: The ‘Theory Migrant’ of Tianxia in the Anglosphere - Yih-Jye Hwang, Raoul Bunskoek and Chih-yu Shih PART II Theorizing China’s Rise: Critical Reflection on Mainstream Frameworks 6 China in the International Order: A Contributor or a Challenger? - Wang Jisi 7 China’s Rise in English School Perspective - Barry Buzan 8 Deconstructing the Established Westphalian Architecture in Light of China’s Rise - Hung- jen Wang 9 Sino-capitalism’s Dialectical Processes and International Relations Theory - Christopher A. McNally 10 China’s Rise as Holographic Transition: A Relational Challenge to International Relations’ Newtonian Ontology - Chengxin Pan Epilogue: Towards International Relations beyond Binaries - Emilian Kavalski and Chengxin Pan

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume brings together international experts to provide fresh perspectives on geopolitical concerns in the South China Sea. The book considers the interests and security strategies of each of the nations with a claim to ownership and jurisdiction in the Sea. Examining contexts including the region’s natural resources and China’s behaviour, the book also assesses the motivations and approaches of other states in Asia and further afield. This is an accessible, even-handed and comprehensive examination of current and future rivalries and challenges in one of the most strategically important and militarized maritime regions of the world.Table of ContentsForeword by Stein Tønnesson Introduction: Strategic Challenges and Escalating Power Rivalry in the South China Sea - Scott N. Romaniuk and Nong Hong 1. Between Competition and War: Complex Security Overlay and the South China Sea - Joshua Hastey and Scott N. Romaniuk 2. The South China Sea as an Echo Chamber of Chinese Foreign and Security Policy - Scott N. Romaniuk and Tobias Burgers Part 1: Claimants of the Contested South China Sea 3. China’s Security Interests and Strategies in the South China Sea - Li Yang 4. Taiwan’s South China Sea Policy under the Tsai Administration - Yann-huei Song 5. Vietnam and the East Sea in Its Strategic Thinking -Đỗ Thanh Hải and Nguyễn Thị Linh 6. The Philippines and the South China Sea Dispute: Duterte’s Hedging Approach with China and the United States - Rommel C. Banlaoi 7. Competition, Contention, and Cooperation in the South China Sea: The Malaysian Perspective - Sumathy Permal Part 2: Non-Claimants in Southeast Asia 8. A Wary Warrior: Indonesia’s “Soft-Assertiveness” in the South China Sea - Senia Febrica and Scott N. Romaniuk 9. The South China Sea Dispute: Regional Integration, Status Ad Quem, and Singapore’s Position - Hui-Yi Katherine Tseng 10. Cambodia’s South China Sea Policy: From ASEAN Aligned to Echoing Chinese Clientism - Veasna Var 11. ASEAN’s Involvement in the South China Sea Disputes: The Economics-Security Conundrum - Mingjiang Li and YingHui Lee Part 3: Quadrilateral Security Dialogue States 12. The United States and the South China Sea Question - John Callahan 13. Japan’s Security Interests and Strategies in the South China Sea - Masafumi Iida 14. Australia’s Geopolitics and the South China Sea - Leszek Buszynski 15. India and the South China Sea Crucible: Cautious Inclinations of an Extra-Regional “Leading Power” - Sourabh Gupta Part 4: Non-Claimants in Europe and Eurasia 16. Britain’s Pivot to Asia: The Big Picture - Ian Park and Kun-Chin Lin 17. Balancing and Hedging: The Two Levels of Russia’s Behaviour in the South China Sea - Alexander Korolev 18. South Korea and the South China Sea: A Middle-Power Model for Practical Policies? - Sukjoon Yoon Conclusion: Looking over the Horizon – Prospects for Settlement of the South China Sea Dispute - Gordon Houlden

Read more less

Book SynopsisSince the ‘migration crisis’ of 2016, long-simmering tensions between the Western members of the European Union and its ‘new’ Eastern members – Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary – have proven to be fertile ground for rebellion against liberal values and policies. In this startling and original book Ivan Kalmar argues that Central European illiberalism is a misguided response to the devastating effects of global neoliberalism, which arose from the area’s brutal transition to capitalism in the 1990s. Kalmar argues that dismissive attitudes towards ‘Eastern Europeans’ are a form of racism and explores the close relation between racism towards Central Europeans and racism by Central Europeans: a people white but not quite.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Race, Illiberalism, Central Europe 1. How Eastern Europeans Became Less White 2. How Central Europeans Became Eastern European 3. How Central Europeans Became Central European (Time and Time Again) 4. Central Europe: Half-Truths and Facts 5. The Last of the White Men: Central Europe’s White Innocence 6. ‘Have Eastern Europeans No Shame?’ Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Homophobia in Central Europe 7. Imitators Spurned: Why the West Needs Central Europe to Stay in its Eastern European Place 8. ‘We Will Not Be a Colony!’ 9. Slavia Prague v. Glasgow Rangers: Lessons from a Football Match Conclusion: When the Migrants Come Postscript: Confessions of a Canadian Central European

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the local to the global, the governance of illegal drug use is becoming increasingly fragmented. In some contexts, prohibitive regimes are being transformed or replaced, while in others there are renewed commitments to criminalized control. But what gives rise to convergence and divergence in processes of policy making, both across different countries as well as within them? Based upon empirical qualitative research with ‘elite’ insiders, David Brewster explores a diverse range of cannabis policy approaches across the globe. His original analysis reveals the factors which facilitate or hinder punitive or liberalising tendencies in cannabis policy processes, concluding with future directions for policy making and comparative criminology.Table of Contents1. Introduction; 2. Cannabis Policy in Global Perspective 3. Socio-Political Change and Cannabis Control 4. Problematising Cannabis 5. The ‘Primeval Soup’ of Policy Proposals 6. The Political Environment and Windows of Opportunity 7. Beyond the National: Policy Negotiation, Resistance and Subversion 8. Cultures of Cannabis Control; 9. Conclusions and Future Directions

Read more less

Book SynopsisPaying close attention to its domestic roots, this textbook provides a valuable introduction to the construction and application of US foreign policy in the modern era. Accessibly written and including helpful illustrative material, a glossary and guide to further reading, it is organised around four broad themes: • the ideologies of US foreign policy; • the institutions of US foreign policy making; • the actors who influence and shape the content of US foreign policy; • the policy goals and ideas that motivate US foreign policy. Drawing from analyses of the broader history of US foreign policy throughout the post-Second World War period, the book encourages readers to think about how these ideas, institutions and goals have been at work in the foreign policy of recent presidential administrations, including those of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden.Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: The Ideologies and Languages of US Foreign Policy 1. The Study of US Foreign Policy 2. The Ideology of American Exceptionalism Part II: The Domestic Institutions of US Foreign Policy 3. The Executive Branch: The President, Defense and State 4. The Legislative Branch Part III: The Politicians and Publics of US Foreign Policy 5. Public Opinion, the Media and Partisanship 6. Interest Groups, Religion and Money 7. Race, Diasporas and Ethnic Politics Part IV: The Goals of US Foreign Policy 8. Realism: Order, Security and Prosperity 9. Idealism: Democracy Promotion and the Paradoxes of US Foreign Policy Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisPaying close attention to its domestic roots, this textbook provides a valuable introduction to the construction and application of US foreign policy in the modern era. Accessibly written and including helpful illustrative material, a glossary and guide to further reading, it is organised around four broad themes: • the ideologies of US foreign policy; • the institutions of US foreign policy making; • the actors who influence and shape the content of US foreign policy; • the policy goals and ideas that motivate US foreign policy. Drawing from analyses of the broader history of US foreign policy throughout the post-Second World War period, the book encourages readers to think about how these ideas, institutions and goals have been at work in the foreign policy of recent presidential administrations, including those of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden.Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: The Ideologies and Languages of US Foreign Policy 1. The Study of US Foreign Policy 2. The Ideology of American Exceptionalism Part II: The Domestic Institutions of US Foreign Policy 3. The Executive Branch: The President, Defense and State 4. The Legislative Branch Part III: The Politicians and Publics of US Foreign Policy 5. Public Opinion, the Media and Partisanship 6. Interest Groups, Religion and Money 7. Race, Diasporas and Ethnic Politics Part IV: The Goals of US Foreign Policy 8. Realism: Order, Security and Prosperity 9. Idealism: Democracy Promotion and the Paradoxes of US Foreign Policy Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis major new study examines the nature of Chinese power and its impact on the international order. Drawing on an extensive range of Chinese-language debates and discussions, the book explains the roles of different actors and interests in Chinese international interactions, and how they influence the nature of Chinese strategies for global change. It also gives a unique perspective on how assessments of the consequences of China’s rise are formed, and how and why these understandings change. Providing an important challenge to scholars and policy makers who seek to engage with China, the book demonstrates just how far starting assumptions can influence the questions asked, evidence sought and conclusions reached.Table of ContentsIntroduction Studying China’s Rise Interest, Actors and Intent: Studying the Global by Understanding the Domestic Chinese (Grand) Strategies for (Global) Change Markets, Technology and Finance: Turning Resources into Power Ideas, Voice and Attraction Normative Power? China Solutions for the World Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis major new study examines the nature of Chinese power and its impact on the international order. Drawing on an extensive range of Chinese-language debates and discussions, the book explains the roles of different actors and interests in Chinese international interactions, and how they influence the nature of Chinese strategies for global change. It also gives a unique perspective on how assessments of the consequences of China’s rise are formed, and how and why these understandings change. Providing an important challenge to scholars and policy makers who seek to engage with China, the book demonstrates just how far starting assumptions can influence the questions asked, evidence sought and conclusions reached.Table of ContentsIntroduction Studying China’s Rise Interest, Actors and Intent: Studying the Global by Understanding the Domestic Chinese (Grand) Strategies for (Global) Change Markets, Technology and Finance: Turning Resources into Power Ideas, Voice and Attraction Normative Power? China Solutions for the World Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrawing on classical and emerging research perspectives, this comprehensive book provides an up-to-date review of local government in Europe. Featuring an impressive range of contributors from both eastern and western Europe, the book addresses three main topics: territorial reforms, democratic empowerment of citizens and the role of local leadership, as well as new trends in local finances. Acknowledging their inherent diversity, the book examines the ways that local governments have responded to shared challenges, such as climate change, increasing populism and democratic deficit in order to identify both the variety and communalities between the country-specific features. In doing so, it provides a rich picture of the latest trends in local government, as well as pointing the way for future developments.Table of ContentsPART I The Size of Municipal Reforms When Size Matters 1 Advancing the Research Agenda on Local Territorial Reforms: Taking Time and Space Seriously ~ António F. Tavares 2 Too Big To Be Local: Local and National Elite Complicity in the Narrative of English Council Mergers ~ Colin Copus, Alistair Jones and Rachel Wall 3 Consequences of Forced Municipal Mergers: Evidence from Norway ~ Harald Baldersheim and Lawrance E. Rose 4 Local Government Reforms in Denmark and Norway: Reform Tools and Outcomes ~ Kurt Houlberg and Jan Erling Klausen 5 One Size Does Not Fit All: Growing Cities and Shrinking Towns in the Spanish Local Map ~ Carmen Navarro and Esther Pano 6 Institutional Changes and Shifting Roles: Local Government Reform in Hungary, 2010–14 ~ Gábor Dobos 7 Territorial Reforms in Bulgaria: The Cases of Municipal Divorces ~ Desislava Kalcheva 8 Participation of Interest Groups at Local Level: Any Space for Democracy in Inter- Municipal Cooperation? ~ Jurga Bučaitė-Vilkė PART II Local Democracy and Leadership 9 Municipal Size and the Nationalization of Local Party Systems: The Nationalized, Localized and Regionalized Local Party Systems of Denmark, Poland and Belgium ~ Adam Gendźwiłł, Ulrik Kjaer and Kristof Steyvers 10 Co-creating the Tolerant City: The Role of Inspirational Civic Leadership ~ Robin Hambleton with a contribution by Wirginia Aksztejn 11 Urban Leadership: German and Polish Mayors in Comparison ~ Hubert Heinelt 12 Urban Climate Leadership in Metropolitan Areas: How Has the Political Parliamentary Model Influenced Oslo’s Climate Leadership? ~ Gro Sandkjær Hanssen PART III Keeping the Pace with a Balanced Balance Sheet 13 Democratic Functions of Local Budgets ~ Jerzy Bartkowski 14 Does Urban Sprawl Pay Off for the Suburban Municipal Budget in Poland? ~ Julita Łukomska and Jarosław Neneman 15 Should Tourists Pay Local Taxes and Why Yes? ~ Marta Derek Conclusion 16 Perspectives on European Local Government: Putting Local Democracy First! ~ Marta Lackowska, Katarzyna Szmigiel-Rawska and Filipe Teles

Read more less

Book SynopsisThroughout the history of European integration, economic wealth has increased to the benefit of citizens in the European Union (EU). However, inequalities in well-being persist within and between Europe’s regions, undermining the legitimacy of the EU in the eyes of citizens. This book investigates how the EU can use its regional funding programmes in ways that increase citizen well-being. The book shows that while EU social investments improve labour market performance in rich regions, they exacerbate income inequality in poor regions. Based on this insight, the book presents a theory on the conditions under which EU funding will enhance well-being. Crucially, it argues the case for enhancing the inclusivity of EU growth, which yields the promise of a more legitimate and stronger union.Table of ContentsForeword - Bo Rothstein 1. Rethinking Regional Development 2. Social Goals in EU Regional Development Policy 3. A Theory of EU Spending and Regional Well-Being 4. Patterns of Regional Well-Being 5. EU Spending Effects on Regional Well-Being 6. Barriers to Improving Regional Well-Being 7. Regional Well-Being, Inclusive Growth and EU Legitimacy Appendix A: Qualitative and Standardized Interview Data Appendix B: EU Social and Economic Investments Appendix C: Measuring Poverty and Inequality Appendix D: Patterns of Regional Well-Being Appendix E: Determinants of Regional Well-Being

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe defeat of Donald Trump in November 2020 followed by the attack on the US Congress on 6th January 2021 represented a tipping point moment in the history of the American republic. Divided at home and facing a world sceptical of American claims to be the ‘indispensable nation’ in world politics, it is clear that the next few years will be decisive ones for the United States. But how did the US, which was riding high only 30 years ago, arrive at this critical point? And will it lead to the fall of what many would claim has been one of the most successful empires of modern times? In this volume, Michael Cox, a leading scholar of American foreign policy, outlines the ways in which five very different American Presidents – Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump and now Biden – have addressed the complex legacies left them by their predecessors while dealing with the longer-term problems of running an empire under increasing stress. In so doing, he sets out a framework for thinking critically about US foreign policy since the end of the Cold War without ever losing sight of the biggest question of all: can America continue to shape world affairs or is it now facing long-term decline?Trade Review“With great power comes great responsibility, but as Michael Cox deftly shows in this persuasive account of US foreign policy since the end of the Cold War, only when a country’s leaders can turn that power into judicious policy. In an era when American power has outstripped national will, Cox’s balanced assessment of the foreign policy missteps, miscalculations, and lapses it has wrought makes for essential reading. Scholars and students alike will benefit from these penetrating essays on what ails the American colossus.” Peter Trubowitz, Phelan US Centre at LSE“Written in an easy, conversational style that would make it an ideal introduction for college students, […] Cox’s study also deserves an audience beyond academia.” Financial Times“An illuminating survey of post-Cold War American foreign policy that will be of great use to students and professors alike.” International AffairsTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Rise of an Empire Part I – Clinton: Liberal Leviathan 1. From Geopolitics to Geo-Economics 2. The Wilsonian Moment? Promoting Democracy 3. Failed Crusade? The United States and Post-Communist Russia Part II – Bush Jnr: Empire in an Age of Terror 4. American Power after the Towers 5. Empire, Imperialism and the Bush Doctrine Part III – Obama: Towards a Post-American World? 6. Navigating the Rapids 7. Stresses across the Atlantic 8. Axis of Opposition: China, Russia and the West Part IV – Trump: Turbulence in the Age of Populism 9. Populism, Trump and the Crisis of Globalization 10. Trump’s World: The Legacy Part V – Biden: Is America Back? 11. After the Deluge or Whither the Empire?

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe defeat of Donald Trump in November 2020 followed by the attack on the US Congress on 6th January 2021 represented a tipping point moment in the history of the American republic. Divided at home and facing a world sceptical of American claims to be the ‘indispensable nation’ in world politics, it is clear that the next few years will be decisive ones for the United States. But how did the US, which was riding high only 30 years ago, arrive at this critical point? And will it lead to the fall of what many would claim has been one of the most successful empires of modern times? In this volume, Michael Cox, a leading scholar of American foreign policy, outlines the ways in which five very different American Presidents – Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump and now Biden – have addressed the complex legacies left them by their predecessors while dealing with the longer-term problems of running an empire under increasing stress. In so doing, he sets out a framework for thinking critically about US foreign policy since the end of the Cold War without ever losing sight of the biggest question of all: can America continue to shape world affairs or is it now facing long-term decline?Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Rise of an Empire Part I – Clinton: Liberal Leviathan 1. From Geopolitics to Geo-Economics 2. The Wilsonian Moment? Promoting Democracy 3. Failed Crusade? The United States and Post-Communist Russia Part II – Bush Jnr: Empire in an Age of Terror 4. American Power after the Towers 5. Empire, Imperialism and the Bush Doctrine Part III – Obama: Towards a Post-American World? 6. Navigating the Rapids 7. Stresses across the Atlantic 8. Axis of Opposition: China, Russia and the West Part IV – Trump: Turbulence in the Age of Populism 9. Populism, Trump and the Crisis of Globalization 10. Trump’s World: The Legacy Part V – Biden: Is America Back? 11. After the Deluge or Whither the Empire?

Read more less

Book SynopsisIs the European Union (EU) in a state of crisis? Over recent years, a series of systemic and spontaneous challenges, including Brexit, the rise of Euroscepticism and the Eurozone and refugee crises, have manifested in landmark moments for European integration. First published as a special issue of the journal Global Discourse, this edited collection investigates whether these crises are isolated phenomena or symptoms of a deeper malaise across the EU. Experts from across disciplines analyse and rethink the forces which pull Europeans together, as well as those which push them apart.Table of Contents1. The Limits of EUrope – Russell Foster and Jan Grzymski Part 1: De-Europeanisation Theory 2. De-Europeanisation after Brexit: Narrowing and Shallowing – William Outhwaite 3. Theorising the EU in Crisis: De-Europeanisation as Disintegration – Ben Rosamond 4. What Are the Driving Forces of Disintegration? A Response to Rosamond and Outhwaite – Christoph O. Meyer 5. Comments on Rosamond and Outhwaite: European Disintegration – Pierre Vimont 6. How Not to Talk about Europe – Alex Callinicos 7. A Response to William Outhwaite – David Spence Part 2: Limits to European Identity and Memory 8. ‘Cry God for Harry, England, and Saint George’: Europe and the Limits of Integrating Identity – Russell Foster 9. A Response to Russell Foster – John Mills 10. What does Self-Determination Mean Today? The Resurgence of Nationalism and European Integration in Question – Gerard Delanty 11. Comments on Gerard Delanty’s Chapter ‘What Does Self-Determination Mean Today? The Resurgence of Nationalism and European Integration in Question’ – Roger Casale 12. Victimhood as victory: The Role of Memory Politics in the Process of De-Europeanisation in East-Central Europe – Peter Vermeersch 13. A Response to Peter Vermeersch’s ‘Victimhood as Victory’ – Martí Grau i Segú Part 3: Limits to European Space and Borders 14. Seeing like a EUropean border: Limits of the EUropean Borders and Space – Jan Grzymski 15. Reflections on Borders, Boundaries and the Limits of EUrope – Tobias Schumacher 16. Brexit: A Requiem for the Post-National Society? – Adrian Favell 17. Can a Post-National Vision Better Tackle Racial Discrimination than a National One? A Response to Adrian Favell: ‘Brexit: A Requiem for a Post-National Society?’ – Omar Khan 18. Migration, Solidarity and the Limits of Europe – Martina Tazzioli and William Walters 19. Response to ‘Migration, Solidarity and the Limits of Europe’ – Liz Fekete Part 4: Limits to Transformative and Normative Europe 20. Entering the ‘Post-Shame Era’: The Rise of Illiberal Democracy, Populism and Neo-Authoritarianism in EUrope – Ruth Wodak 21. Response to Ruth Wodak – Heather Grabbe and Andreas Aktoudianakis 22. Opportunistic Legitimisation and De-Europeanisation as a Reverse Effect of Europeanisation – Spasimir Domaradzki 23. Comments on ‘Opportunistic Legitimisation and De-Europeanisation as a Reverse Effect of Europeanisation’ – Krassen Stanchev 24. Is Homo Oeconomicus an Extinct Species, and Does it Matter for EUropean Integration? Attitudes towards Free Trade and Populism – Bogna Gawrońska-Nowak 25. The decline of 'Homo Oeconomicus' and the Crisis of Liberal EUropean Integration’: A Response to Bogna Gawrońska-Nowak – Federico Ottavio Reho

Read more less

Book SynopsisInequality is an ever-present danger in our society. This important book addresses the crucial nexus between the lived experience of inequality and how it shapes political responses. With contributors from the UK and Continental Europe, the book compiles case studies with theoretically informed discussions of the relationship between affective polarisation, social inequality and the fall-out from Brexit and COVID-19. Using a broad concept of social inequality, the book incorporates aspects of economy and society, language, and emotion culture, as well as interviews and film in historical and transnational perspectives. The contributors offer a powerful examination of the ways in which the politics of the UK and the lived experiences of its residents have been reframed in the first decades of the 21st century.Table of ContentsIntroduction – Gesa Stedman and Jana Gohrisch 1. The Divided Left in the UK: Partisanship, Ideology, and Class After Brexit – Paolo Chiocchetti 2. Populism and the People: Elitism, Authoritarianism and Libertarianism – Kirsten Forkert and Marius Guderjan 3. “Coloring the Utterance With Some Kind of Perceivable Affect.” Constructing ‘Country’ and ‘People’ in Speeches by Theresa May and Boris Johnson: A Linguistic Perspective – Rainer Schulze 4. The Challenges of Polarisation: Lessons for (Re)politicising Inequality Across Four English Towns – Insa Koch, Mark Fransham, Sarah Cant, Jill Ebrey, Luna Glucksberg, Mike Savage 5. ‘Go Away, but Don’t Leave Us.’ Affective Polarisation and the Precarisation of Romanian Essential Workers in the UK – Anisia Petcu 6. Racialised Affective Polarisation in the UK – Jana Gohrisch 7. “Now You Have To Listen”: A Historical Analysis of Britain’s Left-Behind Communities – Harvey Butterfield 8. Britain in a State of Emergency – Studying Ken Loach’s Films I, Daniel Blake (2016) and Sorry We Missed You (2019) – Ellen Grünkemeier 9. Cloaking Class – Making the Working Class Visible – Lisa McKenzie 10. Class, Poverty and Inequality in Scotland: Independence and the Creation of Affective Polarisations – Carlo Morelli and Gerry Mooney 11. Language and Identity – the Taliesin Tradition – Ifor Ap Glyn Conclusion – Gesa Stedman and Jana Gohrisch

Read more less

Book SynopsisOver the past decade, the UK has experienced major policy and policy making change. This text examines this shifting political and policy landscape while also highlighting the features of UK politics that have endured. Written by Paul Cairney and Sean Kippin, leading voices in UK public policy and politics, the book combines a focus on policy making theories and concepts with the exploration of key themes and events in UK politics, including: • developing social policy in a post-pandemic world; • governing post-Brexit; and • the centrality of environmental policy. The book equips students with a robust and up-to-date understanding of UK public policy and enables them to locate this within a broader theoretical framework.Table of ContentsPreface: How To Analyse UK Policy Making 1. Introducing UK Politics and Policy Making 2. Perspectives on Policy and Policy Making 3. Explaining UK Politics and Policy Making 4. The Transformation of the UK State 5. What Does State Transformation Tell Us About the UK Policy Process? 6. Crises and Policy Making: The UK Response to COVID-19 7. Constitutional Policy: Brexit 8. Environmental Policy: Climate Change and Sustainability 9. Economic Policy: Austerity 10. Social Policy: Inequalities, Racism, and Protest 11. Foreign Policy: The War on Terror 12. Conclusion References

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisChina’s vision for international order is a matter of great global interest. This book analyses China’s vision for foreign policy and how it is seeking to achieve its goals with its immediate neighbours. The book provides a historically informed account by examining the legacy of China’s imperial past and traditional political philosophy, giving insights into the country’s view of its place in today’s world. It argues that China today sees the maintenance of order as its own responsibility and that it believes this order needs to attribute different roles to ‘small’ and ‘big’ states to ensure stability. Furthermore, it explores the different tools China employs to achieve its vision, including a proactive diplomacy, the control of international discourse, threat of punishment for ‘misbehaviour’, and the promise of economic benefits in return for compliance.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Aspects of Asia as an International System 2. The Ideal of Hierarchical Order 3. Statecraft in the Long Imperial Era 4. China’s Forced Entry into International Society and the Transformation of the Ideal of Hierarchical Order 5. The Pursuit of a Hierarchical Order in the People’s Republic of China 6. Moral Discourse and Ritual in Contemporary Chinese Diplomacy 7. Traditional Tools of Rulership in the Modern World Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book explores civil–military relations in Asia. With chapters on individual countries in the region, it provides a comprehensive account of the range of contemporary Asian practices under conditions of abridged democracy, soft authoritarianism or complete totalitarianism. Through its analysis, the book argues that civil–military relations in Asia ought to be examined under the concept of ‘Asian military evolutions’. It demonstrates that while Asian militaries have tried to incorporate standard, Western-derived frameworks of civil–military relations, it has been necessary to adapt such frameworks to suit local circumstances. The book reveals how this has in turn led to creative fusions and novel changes in making civil–military relations an asset to furthering national security objectives.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Asian Military Evolutions – Entrenching Varieties of Civil–Military Relations and Their Security Initiatives in Asia - Alan Chong and Nicole Jenne Part 1: Southeast Asia 2. Fostering Developmental Guardianship: The Case of Myanmar’s Tatmadaw - Adhi Priamarizki 3. Business as Usual despite Reform: The Indonesian Military under Jokowi - Dahlia Gratia Setiyawan 4. Militarizing Governance: Informal Civil–Military Relations and Democratic Erosion in the Philippines - Aries A. Arugay 5. Mind the Gap: The Curious Case of Everyday Civil–Military Relations in Singapore - Jun Yan Chang and Shu Huang Ho 6. The Role of the Malaysian Armed Forces in Defence Diplomacy: A Foreign Policy Outworking of Civil–Military Relations in Malaysia - David Han 7. The Architecture and Evolution of Civil–Military Relations in Vietnam - Alexander L. Vuving 8. The Stubborn Illiberalism and Trialectical Dynamics of Thailand’s Civil–Military Relations - Gregory V. Raymond 9. Peacekeeping: An Emerging Area of Southeast Asia’s Defence and Security Cooperation? - Nicole Jenne Part 2: Northeast Asia 10. Subjective Conditional Control: Return of the Strongman in China’s Party–Army Relations - James Char 11. Military and Politics in Patrimonial North Korea - Jongseok Woo 12. Curing National Insecurity through Developmental Authoritarianism in South Korea’s Civil–Military Relations - Il Woo Lee and Alan Chong 13. Image Makeover: The Military Evolution of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces - Yee- Kuang Heng Part 3: South Asia 14. The Deficient Evolution of Civil–Military Relations in India - Harsh V. Pant and Tuneer Mukherjee 15. Defence Diplomacy and Civil–Military Relations: The Case of Bangladesh - Rashed Uz Zaman 16. Conclusion: Asian Military Evolutions as a Contribution to Civil–Military Relations Thought - Alan Chong and Nicole Jenne

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book explores civil-military relations in Asia. With chapters on individual countries in the region, it provides a comprehensive account of the range of contemporary Asian practices under conditions of abridged democracy, soft authoritarianism or complete totalitarianism.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhy do international actors, including powerful states, often fail to develop clear foreign policies and instead adopt indecisive, ‘muddling-through’ approaches? This book develops a concept and a theory of reluctance in world politics. Applying it to the study of regional crisis management by leading powers, it finds that reluctance emerges when governments fail to devise clear foreign policy preferences and face competing international pressures. The study of reluctance in world politics sheds new light on some of the most pressing problems of our time, from weak crisis management to cooperation deficits in global governance.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Conceptualizing Reluctance 3. Theorizing Reluctance in World Politics 4. India’s Reluctant Crisis Management in South Asia 5. Germany’s Mixed Approach: Not Always a Reluctant Hegemon 6. Brazil’s Non-Reluctant Approach to Regional Crisis Management 7. Explaining Reluctance in Other Contexts 8. Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisThough children have never been absent from international studies discourse, they are too often reduced to a few simplistic and unidimensional framings. This book seeks to recover children’s agency and to recognize the complex variety of childhoods and the global issues that affect them. Written by an international list of contributors from Europe, Africa, North America, and Australasia, chapters present highly nuanced accounts of children and childhoods across global political time and space split into three broad sections: imagined childhoods, governed childhoods, and lived childhoods. Through its analysis, the book demonstrates how international relations is, somewhat paradoxically, quite deeply invested in a particular rendering of childhood as, primarily, a time of innocence, vulnerability, and incapacity.Trade Review"Extending and enriching our understanding of how children and childhoods are always already imbricated in the practices of global politics, the various essays in this impressive and diverse volume demonstrate the significance of children as subjects of political discourse and intervention, and agents of political change. The collection is both coherent and wide-ranging, articulating clearly not only why children and childhoods matter in global politics but also how these political actors and processes can be – indeed, are – pivotal to the constitution of global-local connections and to the reproduction of, or resistance to, existing structures of power." Laura J. Shepherd, The University of Sydney“This groundbreaking volume demonstrates in brilliant and wide-ranging detail why studies of children and childhoods are not just peripheral but essential for understanding the realities and possibilities of global politics.” John Wall, Rutgers UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction: Children and Childhoods in Global Political Perspective - J. Marshall Beier and Helen Berents Part 1: Imagined Childhoods 1. ‘Anchor Babies’ and ‘Imposter Children’: Childhoods’ Representations in Global Migration Politics - Patrícia Nabuco Martuscelli 2. Creating Inclusive Reconciliation and Reporting Spaces with Children: Valuing Their Stories - Caitlin Mollica 3. Stories about Children Born of Violence: Counternarratives in the Peruvian Truth Commission’s Archive and Popular Culture - Ana Lucia Alonso Soriano 4. (Un)Recognition of Child Soldiers’ Agency in UN Peacekeeping Practice - Dustin Johnson Part 2: Governed Childhoods 5. Contested Children’s and Young People’s Political Representation in Global Health - Anna Holzscheiter and Laura Pantzerhielm 6. The Representative Breakthrough? Children and Youth Representation in the Global Governance of Migration - Jonathan Josefsson 7. The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict: A Normative Agenda and Children’s Agency in Armed Conflict - Vanessa Bramwell 8. In/visible Subjects: Global Migration Management and the Integration of Refugee Children into Schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Alebachew K. Haybano and Jennifer Riggan 9. Alone and on the Move: Unaccompanied Children in UK Parliamentary Debates 2015–2016 - Lesley Pruitt and Antje Missbach 10. Pathologies of Child Governance: Safe Harbor Laws and Children Involved in the Sex Trade in the United States - Robyn Linde Part 3: Lived Childhoods 11. Childhood, Playing War, and Militarism: Beyond Discourses of Domination/ Resistance and Towards an Ethics of Encounter - Sean Carter and Tara Woodyer 12. Troubling Girl Power Environmentalism: Indigenous Girls, Climate Change Activism, and a Relational Ethic of Responsibility - Lindsay Robinson 13. Children’s Intifada: Children as Participants in a Violent Conflict - Timea Spitka 14. Children’s Agency and Co-construction of Everyday Militarism(s): Representations and Realities of War in Ukrainian Children’s Art, 2014–2022 - Kristina Hook and Iuliia Hoban 15. Centring the Demand for Critical Climate Justice Education - Bennett Collins and Ali Watson

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis innovative account challenges traditional views in International Relations by theorising the influence of individual leaders on foreign policy change. It examines how and why leaders shape policy, showcasing Obama's Cuba pivot as a prime example.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Writing the New World, Mauro Caraccioli examines the natural history writings of early Spanish missionaries, using these texts to argue that colonial Latin America was fundamental in the development of modern political thought. Revealing their narrative context, religious ideals, and political implications, Caraccioli shows how these sixteenth-century works promoted a distinct genre of philosophical wonder in service of an emerging colonial social order.Caraccioli discusses narrative techniques employed by well-known figures such as Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo and Bartolomé de Las Casas as well as less-studied authors including Bernardino de Sahagún, Francisco Hernández, and José de Acosta. More than mere catalogues of the natural wonders of the New World, these writings advocate mining and molding untapped landscapes, detailing the possibilities for extracting not just resources from the land but also new moral values from indigenous communities. Analyzing the intersections between politics, science, and faith that surface in these accounts, Caraccioli shows how the portrayal of nature served the ends of imperial domination.Integrating the fields of political theory, environmental history, Latin American literature, and religious studies, this book showcases Spain's role in the intellectual formation of modernity and Latin America's place as the crucible for the Scientific Revolution. Its insights are also relevant to debates about the interplay between politics and environmental studies in the Global South today.This book is freely available in an open access edition thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem)—a collaboration of the Association of American Universities, the Association of University Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries—and the generous support of Virginia Tech.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRacism After Apartheid, volume four of the Democratic Marxism series, brings together leading scholars and activists from around the world studying and challenging racism. In eleven thematically rich and conceptually informed chapters, the contributors interrogate the complex nexus of questions surrounding race and relations of oppression as they are played out in the global South and global North. Their work challenges Marxism and anti-racism to take these lived realities seriously and consistently struggle to build human solidarities.Table of Contents Acknowledgements Acronyms and abbreviations Chapter 1 The Anti-Racism of Marxism: Past and Present Vishwas Satgar PART ONE AGAINST RACISM IN THE WORLD Chapter 2 The International Indigenous Peoples’ Movement: A Site of Anti-Racist Struggle Against Capitalism Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Chapter 3 Emancipation, Freedom or Taxonomy? What Does It Mean to be African? Firoze Manji Chapter 4 Colonialism, Apartheid and the Native Question: The Case of Israel/PalestineRan Greenstein Chapter 5 The Role of Racism in the European ‘Migration Crisis’: A Historical–Materialist PerspectiveFabian Georgi Chapter 6 Hindutva, Caste and the ‘National Unconscious’Aditya Nigam Chapter 7 Marxism, Feminism and Caste in Contemporary India Nivedita Menon PART TWO AGAINST RACISM IN SOUTH AFRICA Chapter 8 The Reproduction of Racial Inequality in South Africa: The Colonial Unconscious and Democracy Peter Hudson Chapter 9 Democratic Marxism and the National Question: Race and Class in Post-Apartheid South Africa Khwezi Mabasa Chapter 10 Seven Theses on Radical Non-Racialism, the Climate Crisis and Deep Just Transitions: From the National Question to the Eco-cide Question Vishwas Satgar Chapter 11 Foreign Nationals are the ‘Non-Whites’ of the Democratic Dispensation Sharon Ekambaram Conclusion Vishwas Satgar Contributors Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this book the authors tackle the concept of 'quality of government' (QoG) both conceptually and empirically and apply their focus to EU countries and regions. In a pioneering empirical effort, they map out regional QoG for the first time for 172 NUTS 1 and 2 regions throughout 18 countries in the EU, and provide a detailed methodology. They follow up the quantitative assessment with three case studies demonstrating the wide variation of QoG found within the countries of Italy, Belgium and Romania. The book concludes with important lessons and ideas for future research.Quality of Government and Corruption from a European Perspective will offer a unique insight to an important issue of development within the EU that speaks to students and academics in the field of comparative politics, EU politics, development, governance and corruption.With contributions from: Lewis Dijkstra, Jonas Håkansson and Oana BorcanTable of ContentsContents: Introduction PART I: DEFINING QoG AND WHY IT MATTERS TO EUROPE 1. A Focus on the European Union and the Sub-National Dimension of QoG Lewis Dijkstra 2. Conceptualizing QoG Bo Rothstein PART II: QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF QoG IN THE EU 3. Evaluating EU Countries by QoG: National Level Nicholas Charron 4. QoG at the Sub-National Level and the EQI Nicholas Charron PART III: CASE STUDIES AND LESSONS FROM THE REGIONAL QUALITATIVE EXPERT INTERVIEWS 5. Variation in Sub-National QoG in Italy and a Closer Look at QoG in Bolzano and Campania Nicholas Charron 6. Variation in Sub-National QoG in Belgium: Flanders and Wallonia Jonas Håkansson 7. Variation in Sub-National QoG in Romania Oana Borcan 8. Conclusions: How to Improve QoG in Europe Victor Lapuente Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisUsing theories and methods from the toolbox of Comparative Public Policy and Comparative Political Economy, Thomas Krumm's excellent book is a must-read for anyone interested in the politics of public-private partnerships in a cross-country perspective.'- Karsten Mause, University of Muenster, Germany'Why have some countries in Western Europe heavily relied on public-private partnerships between 1990 and 2009 while others have abstained from using this policy instrument? In his important study, Thomas Krumm provides an encompassing and detailed overview of PPP activities, in no less than 14 West European EU member states, that so far has not been available. Using a mixed-methods research design, the author convincingly shows that political and economic factors explain the diverse PPP trajectories in Western Europe.'- Reimut Zohlnhoefer, University of Heidelberg, GermanyThis comprehensive book provides a unique comparative policy analysis of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in 14 Western European countries - from Scandinavia to Greece - bringing together important insights from government and politics as well as economics and institutional analysis.Thomas Krumm focuses on political drivers for policy change in favour of PPPs, and the supportive and limiting socioeconomic and institutional conditions. Using comparative data, he charts key policies and actors involved in supporting collaboration between the State and private business organisations across Western Europe.Students and scholars of public policy, regulation and comparative politics, among other disciplines, will find this book to be useful in their research or teaching. It will also be of substantial interest to PPP practitioners, and other specialists in the subject.Trade Review‘Using theories and methods from the toolbox of Comparative Public Policy and Comparative Political Economy, Thomas Krumm's excellent book is a must-read for anyone interested in the politics of public–private partnerships in a cross-country perspective.’ -- Karsten Mause, University of Muenster, Germany‘Why have some countries in Western Europe heavily relied on public-private partnerships between 1990 and 2009 while others have abstained from using this policy instrument? In his important study, Thomas Krumm provides an encompassing and detailed overview of PPP activities, in no less than 14 West European EU member states, that so far has not been available. Using a mixed-methods research design, the author convincingly shows that political and economic factors explain the diverse PPP trajectories in Western Europe.’ -- Reimut Zohlnhoefer, University of Heidelberg, GermanyTable of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction 2. PPP as a Political Issue 3. PPP in Western Europe: Challenges for Comparative Research 4. The Nordic Countries 5. United Kingdom and Ireland 6. Belgium and the Netherlands 7. Germany and Austria 8. France and Italy 9. The Iberian Peninsula and Greece 10. Conclusion Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisGlobalization raises important questions about the governing capacity of domestic institutions. In Globalization and Governance, Jon Pierre studies the impact of international norms and prescriptions on domestic governance in Japan, Sweden and the United States.The empirical analysis is focused on economic governance, administrative reform and intergovernmental relationships. Drawing on survey data, documents and interviews, the analysis finds that domestic institutions still intrinsically shape domestic governance. International norms towards deregulation and market-based administrative reform confront domestic institutions with prescriptions for reform but the three countries provide only very few examples of unmitigated domestic implementation. What Jon Pierre calls 'the microfoundations of globalization'-the assessment, adoption or rejection of international norms and ideas in vogue-is a complex process where domestic institutions and path dependencies remain at the helm. The most important exception to this pattern is governance during financial crises where countries are dependent on conditioned support from transnational institutions.This insightful and informative book will appeal to researchers, academics, post-graduate, as well as undergraduate, students in governance, political economy and international relations.Contents: 1. Globalization and the State 2. Globalization and Domestic Governance 3. Still Governing the Economy? Economic Governance 4. Cities and Regions in a Globalized World: Inter-Governmental Relationships 5. Modernizing the State: Administrative Reform 6. Conclusions: Domestic Governance in a Globalizing World References IndexTrade Review‘To pun, Pierre brings globalization down to earth. After all the hype, he serves as an experienced and trustworthy guide to the key question of how far nation states are “forced” to follow global trends. His answers are nuanced, well-evidenced, and thought-provoking. This should find a place on many reading lists.’ -- Christopher Pollitt, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium'Jon Pierre's Globalization and Governance takes on perhaps the most significant question in international political economy: to what extent have nations governance structures been determined and shaped by the recent great forces of globalization? In an ingenious analytical tour de force, he looks at how three very different democracies, Japan, Sweden, and the U.S., have dealt with the economy, intergovernmental relationships, and administrative reform when confronted by globalization trends. His conclusion is a masterful, elegant and convincing argument that boils down to ''somewhat, but not as much as you (or many other theorists) might think''. This is an important, sophisticated and ground-breaking book about the interstices of international and domestic policymaking and political economy that challenges the conventional wisdom. Is there any better kind in the study of governance?' -- Ellis Krauss, University of California, San Diego'Globalization and Governance makes a compelling case that domestic political economies can cope creatively, distinctly, and effectively with exogenous pressures for change. However compelling and homogenizing global forces may appear to be, the book shows that Sweden, Japan and the United States continue to demonstrate an overwhelming resilience by entrenched domestic patterns plus powerful learning and adaptive capabilities. This book is a welcome addition to the ongoing debates about globalization; it is full of insights for specialists in both comparative politics and international relations.' -- T.J. Pempel, University of California, BerkeleyTable of ContentsContents: 1. Globalization and the State 2. Globalization and Domestic Governance 3. Still Governing the Economy? Economic Governance 4. Cities and Regions in a Globalized World: Inter-Governmental Relationships 5. Modernizing the State: Administrative Reform 6. Conclusions: Domestic Governance in a Globalizing World References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume breaks new ground in addressing a number of critical issues confronting contemporary comparative politics, including the increasing interdependence of countries in the era of enhanced globalization, different levels of political authority and structures of governance, the search for elegant parsimonious explanation and the possibilities for a real accumulation of knowledge. The contributions all problematize comparative politics in ways that have not been done before and add remarkable insight for scholars in the field. This is highly recommended.'- Todd Landman, University of Nottingham, UK and author of Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics (Routledge 2000, 2003, 2008, 2016)'The challenges that comparative politics faces have, in most cases, been discussed as fragmented and separate treatments. Rarely are they presented systematically and in an encompassing manner, as in the present volume, which covers a variety of subdisciplines. The editors and contributors should be complimented for offering methodologists and empirical comparativists a structured and integrated volume in which the various challenges are not only discussed in depth, but also linked together, rather than in isolation.'- Daniele Caramani, University of Zurich, SwitzerlandWhat are the conceptual and methodological challenges facing comparative politics today? This informative book discusses four main challenges that create stress for disciplinary reproduction and advancement, while providing potential solutions.In seven chapters, the contributors cover the most pressing issues: the dissolution of the nation-state as the main objective of inquiry; the increasing complexity of concepts and methods; the capacity to accumulate knowledge; and the tensions between parsimonious and contextually rich explanations.Scholars and students of comparative politics, international relations and political science will be interested in the up-to-date overview of pertinent conceptual problems, as well as the possible ways forward. Practitioners and decision-makers will find the real-world examples provided in this book useful to their work.Contributors: D. Braun, O.Giraud, D. Jahn, D. Kuebler, M. Maggetti, S. StephanTrade ReviewThis is an excellent book for students in comparative politics. It not only challenges the present state of the art, but also shows fresh avenues to do comparative research in the 21st Century. All chapters provide us with new insights as well as how to apply alternative methods. I hold that the different contributions are a 'must read' for both students and established researchers to take in and to discuss. --- Hans Keman, VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands and former Editor of the European Journal of Political ResearchTable of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction Dietmar Braun and Martino Maggetti 2. The Problem of Interdependence Detlef Jahn and Sebastian Stephan 3. De-nationalization and Multi-level Governance Daniel Kübler 4. Between Parsimony and Complexity – System-wide Typologies as a Challenge in Comparative Politics Dietmar Braun 5. Methodological Pluralism Olivier Giraud and Martino Maggetti 6. Knowledge Progress in Comparative Politics Martino Maggetti 7. Conclusion Martino Maggetti and Dietmar Braun Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 2011, capital’s crisis erupted in Egyptian society. This eruption, and subsequent politics, have been misrepresented as revolutionary, as the working class was – and is increasingly so – devalued and disempowered. In Crisis and Class War in Egypt, Sean F. McMahon critically analyses Egypt's recent political history. He argues that the so-called 'revolution' was the appearance of capital's destruction of the value of the Egyptian working class and an existential crisis for capital. In response, productive capital in the form of the military used, disposed of and replaced its junior partners in governing; first the predatory capital of the Mubarak state with the commodity capital of the Muslim Brotherhood, and then commodity capital with the finance capital of the Gulf Cooperation Council. These reconfigurations have been expressed in all manner of reactionary governmental arrangements including constitutions, legislation and currency reform. Extending today's analysis into the near future, McMahon sees the war of Egyptian society intensifying, and increasingly violent lives for Egyptian workers.Trade ReviewOffers an insightful perspective that is not often found in studies of Egyptian politics … Crisis and Class War in Egypt is a thought-provoking read that raises critical questions about Egypt’s recent past and carries important implications for its future. * Muslim World Book Review *Provides a remarkably detailed analysis of the neoliberal policies – both within Egypt and at a global level – that undermined the well-being of Egyptian workers and produced the desperation behind the uprising in 2011. * Harry Cleaver, University of Texas at Austin (Emeritus) *Employing the labour theory of value, McMahon delves into the underlying causes of the continuing crisis in Egypt. The analysis stands in stark contrast to the shallowness of Orientalist and neoliberal explanations of events. McMahon also predicts that an eruption between capital and labour is looming. * Ibrahim Aoude, editor, Arab Studies Quarterly *Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Dialectical Development of Egypt’s Crisis Moment 3. Fetishisms and Faction 4. Realignments and Reform 5. The Coming Eruption of Crisis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis collection of chapters constitutes a highly valuable and informed input to the debate on the European Union's present and potential role in the shaping of our common future. Together, the contributors take a comprehensive perspective covering legal, political and economic imbalances in the world that are of acute relevance for the possibilities to effectively tackle challenges common to us all, such as climate change, poverty, trafficking and the supply of scarce fundamental commodities. To what extent can the European Union be a constructive force in ameliorating these imbalances, and thereby in world politics, and how ought it to proceed?'- Per Cramér, University of Gothenburg, Sweden'The international dimension of the EU's activities is under-researched and often poorly understood. This book, drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives and bringing together a range of authors from the Nordic countries, provides a timely and well-thought-out exposition of the challenges the EU faces in the world.'- Iain Begg, London School of Economics and Political Science, UKThe EU's Role in Fighting Global Imbalances looks at the role of the European Union in addressing some of the greatest challenges of our time: poverty, protectionism, climate change, and human trafficking. The recent crisis has depleted the Union s economic and political resources. At the same time the Union is, like never before, expected to confront these global challenges on the world political arena, where new regional power centres are establishing themselves. Based on a broad and interdisciplinary understanding of the concept of global imbalances, this book argues that these challenges follow from pervasive global imbalances, which at root are economic, political, and legal in character.Contributions from ten leading scholars in the fields of economics, law, and political science provide in-depth analyses of three key dimensions of EU foreign policy, namely: the internal challenges facing the EU, as its 28 member countries struggle to coordinate their actions; the external challenges facing the EU on the global arena, in areas where global imbalances are particularly pervasive, and where measures taken by the Union can have an important impact; and the EU´s performance on the global arena, in the eyes of other key actors.This policy-oriented, interdisciplinary volume offers real insight into the European Union and its role in global affairs and will appeal to academics and policy-makers alike.Contributors: L. Aggestam, A.Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, A. Bigsten, S. Bogojevi , O. Elgström, M. Henrekson, A. Jonsson Cornell, A. Kokko, M. Mårtensson, A. Moberg, L. Oxelheim, T. Persson, T. Sanandaji, A. Schmidt-FelzmannTrade Review‘This collection of chapters constitutes a highly valuable and informed input to the debate on the European Union’s present and potential role in the shaping of our common future. Together, the contributors take a comprehensive perspective covering legal, political and economic imbalances in the world that are of acute relevance for the possibilities to effectively tackle challenges common to us all, such as climate change, poverty, trafficking and the supply of scarce fundamental commodities. To what extent can the European Union be a constructive force in ameliorating these imbalances, and thereby in world politics, and how ought it to proceed?’ -- Per Cramér, University of Gothenburg, Sweden‘The international dimension of the EU’s activities is under-researched and often poorly understood. This book, drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives and bringing together a range of authors from the Nordic countries, provides a timely and well-thought-out exposition of the challenges the EU faces in the world.’ -- Iain Begg, London School of Economics and Political Science, UKTable of ContentsContents: 1. The EU and Global Inbalances Antonina Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, Moa Mårtensson, Lars Oxelheim and Thomas Persson 2. Transformative Power or Political Dwarf? European Leadership and Global Imbalances Lisbeth Aggestam 3. The Role of Aid in Reducing Global Imbalances: The EU and Africa Arne Bigsten 4. Superentrepreneurship and Global Inbalances: Closing Europe’s Gap to Other Industrialised Regions Magnus Henrekson and Tino Sanandaji 5. Global Imbalances in Climate Protection, Leadership Ambitions and EU Climate Change Law Sanja Bogojević 6. Human Trafficking as a Result of Global Imbalances: The Role of the European Union Anna Jonsson Cornell 7. Can the European Union Use Agreements to Even Out the Global Imbalance in the Protection of Human Rights? Andreas Moberg 8. The Imbalances Between the European Union and China Ari Kokko 9. The EU’s Relations With Russia: Off Balance and Beyond Repair? Anke Schmidt-Felzmann 10. External Perceptions of the EU: Obstacle or Asset in the Fight Against Global Imbalances? Ole Elgström Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisBased on an extended agonistic pluralism perspective, this book offers a novel notion of a transnational public sphere that goes beyond the questions of whether a European public sphere exists or is possible and instead provides a solid understanding of its key features. This book offers an alternative concept of European integration based on the idea of integrative and constitutive conflicts. Not only an exploration of the emerging European public sphere, this groundbreaking book evaluates the outcomes of the EU polices aiming to create it as well as the trans-European networks' efforts to become a pan-European civil society. Expert contributors also explore the European public sphere's contribution to democracy and present enhanced empirical knowledge of the role of supranational institutions and pan-European networks in facilitating European integration, thus challenging the liberal intergovernmentalist, neo-functionalist and multi-level governance approaches.Integration, Diversity and the Making of a European Public Sphere will be of interest to scholars and upper level students of European studies, politics and public policy. Global, regional and national civil society organizations, think tanks and media corporations will also find value in this book.Contributors include: W. Dressler, D.N. Duru, M. Klicperova-Baker, J. Kostal, M. Mokre, M. Perez, R. Sata, H.G. Sicakkan, H.-J. Trenz, J.H. van de Beek, F. VermeulenTrade Review'Integration, diversity, and the European public sphere are not just concepts put together in this outstanding book-these are the most burning issues of our time. In the light of the global financial crisis, the crisis of the Eurozone, the refugee crisis and, most recently, the British exit from the European Union, observers might think that crises are the best indicators of the rise of a European public sphere. However, this thought-provoking collection of studies, edited by Hakan G. Sicakkan, offers a much deeper investigation of dimensions of the problem of European public sphere. This book is an eye opener, and should be read by all who are interested in the future of the European idea.' --Andras Bozoki, Central European University, HungaryTable of ContentsContents: 1. An Agonist Pluralism Approach to the European Public Sphere Hakan G. Sicakkan 2. Europe’s Territorial Transformation, Regions and Diversity: Towards a Common European Public Sphere? Wanda Dressler 3. European Media Policies and the European Public Sphere Monika Mokre 4. European State Building, Top-down Elite Alliances and the National Media Hakan G. Sicakkan 5. Diversity in the Virtual Sphere: Social Media as a Platform for Transnational Encounters Deniz Neriman Duru and Hans-Jörg Trenz 6. The Contribution of Think Tanks to the Formation of a European Public Sphere Marybel Perez 7. Protection, Participation and Legitimacy: The European Union’s Public Consultation System and Ethnic and National Minorities Jan H. van de Beek and Floris Vermeulen 8. Agonistic Politics of the European Parliament: Party and Party Group Alignments and Voting Behavior Robert Sata 9. Toward Empirical Assessment of the European Demos and Public Sphere: Comparing Democratic Value Orientations of Citizens and Elites Martina Klicperová-Baker and Jaroslav Košťál 10. The Role of EU Policies in the Making of the European Public Sphere Hakan G. Sicakkan Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIncreasingly, EU market regulation measures have been introduced in the pursuit of economic justice and welfare. This book illustrates how regulation can help to prevent the abuse of dominance, in particular the abuse of public capital by the state. Comprehensive and interdisciplinary, this book presents the theory of regulation in a highly accessible manner. It explains that whilst the state's ability to make major investments, compete with the private sector and target subsidies may be necessary in supporting infrastructure, the wasteful allocation of public monies can also do immense harm by crowding out private investments, distorting private incentives, and helping to foreclose markets. Against this background, Christian Koenig and Bernhard Von Wendland discuss the strengths and weaknesses of EU regulation in the area of competition in the Internal Market, considering both private and public economic activities and market interventions and providing further analysis in light of global competitive pressures. Contemporary and practical, this book will appeal to academics, students and practitioners interested in regulation both in and outside of the EU. Decision-makers, lawmakers and politicians will also benefit from its strong focus on better law making and regulation in order to promote social welfare.Table of ContentsContents: 1. Why Regulation? 2. Where Are We Coming From? 3. Tempering the Tyranny of Market Powers 4. The Public Cause of Exploitation 5. The Art of Steering Public Resources towards the Common Interest – the Supranational Approach 6. The Art of Sector-Specific Regulation in the Internal Market 7. The Dilemma of Regulation – Global Competitiveness vs Integrity of the Internal Market 8. Where We are Going to… Epilogue The European Cause after the British Referendum Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisElgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences 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. Mark Tushnet, a world-renowned scholar of constitutional law, has excelled in extending and revising his essential introduction to comparative constitutional law. Through an analysis of topics at the cutting edge of contemporary scholarship, this authoritative study investigates constitution making, forms of constitutional review, proportionality analysis and its alternatives, and the development of a new ?transparency? branch in constitutions around the world. Throughout, the book draws upon examples from a wide range of nations, demonstrating that the field of comparative constitutional law now truly encompasses the world.New to this revised and enlarged second edition: ? Updated and extended material to encompass the developments in practice and scholarship since the original edition?s publication back in 2014? With substantial additional attention, Tushnet analyses abusive constitutionalism, the idea of the constituent power, eternity clauses and unconstitutional amendments Recent developments in weak- and strong-form constitutional review are given fresh analysis, as well as an expanded consideration of third generation rights. Addressing the key issues of constitutional design and structure, this second edition will serve as an excellent up-to-date resource for students and scholars of comparative constitutional law.Trade Review'In terms of succinctness, readability and sophistication, probably the best advanced introduction to comparative constitutional law you can find in under 150 pages.' --Mattias Kumm, New York University, School of Law, USTable of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction: comparative constitutional law – history and contours 2. Constitution-making 3. The structures of constitutional review and some implications for substantive constitutional law 4. The structure of rights analysis: proportionality, rules and international law 5. The structure of government 6. Conclusion References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis discerning book examines China’s newly developed soft-intervention policy towards North Korea, Myanmar and the two Sudans by examining China’s diplomatic statements and behaviours. It also highlights the Chinese soft-intervention policy in economic manipulation and diplomatic persuasion in the recent generations of Chinese leadership under Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping. Providing a new perspective on the study of China through its discrepant foreign policies, Hak Yin Li delivers a comprehensive overview of the principles of Chinese foreign policy, critically examining the evolution of the Chinese non-intervention policy. Rich with empirical discussions on key cases, the book also includes interviews with Chinese scholars and provides a wide breadth of information from official sources such as China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This invigorating read will be an excellent resource for international relations scholars, policy analysts and researchers who are interested in the evolution of Chinese non-intervention policy, and China’s emerging soft-interventions in North Korea, Myanmar and the two Sudans. Readers with an interest in Chinese foreign policy and China’s normative role in shaping the world order will also find this an enlightening read.Trade Review‘Hak Yin Li’s pathbreaking analysis of China’s “non-interventionist policy” tests his concept of “soft intervention” against case studies of North Korea, Myanmar, and North and South Sudan. While most Westerners portray a rising China as a self-interested, revisionist power, which cynically rejects its principles, Li argues that China’s articulated norm of “non-interference” makes it a “self-restrained rising power”, whose actions diverge from US hegemonic activity, thereby suggesting that China’s rise may be less threatening to the international order.’ -- David Zweig, Professor Emeritus, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China‘Many Americans have regarded China's rise as posing a threat to the US. However, how many of them have paid attention to the fact that the United States has been fighting wars in so many places of the world while China has focused on gaining greater wealth, power and influence? How to explain the difference of foreign policy behavior between the two countries? In this book Hak Yin Li has answered these questions, by explaining the origins and evolution of China’s non-intervention foreign policy. While many have been critical about China’s non-intervention policy in areas such as trade and investment, it is exactly this policy that has helped China. Everyone who is interested in understanding China’s rise must read this book.’ -- Yongnian Zheng, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, ChinaTable of ContentsContents: Preface and acknowledgements 1. Introduction to the rise of China 2. China: between a revolutionary and a revisionist power 3. Two policy faces and the case of China 4. Evolution of the Chinese non-intervention policy 5. North Korea: getting Kim’s family back on track 6. Myanmar: stabilizing the Indo-China peninsula 7. Sudan: pulling the two Sudans out of the fire 8. Is China a self-restrained rising power? Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn June 1975 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a state of emergency, resulting in a 21-month suspension of democracy. Jaffrelot and Anil explore this black page in India's history, a constitutional dictatorship of unequal impact, with South India largely spared thanks to the resilience of Indian federalism. India's First Dictatorship focuses on Mrs Gandhi and her son, Sanjay, who was largely responsible for the mass sterilisation programmes and deportation of urban slum-dwellers. However, it equally exposes the facilitation of authoritarian rule by Congressmen, Communists, trade unions, businessmen and the urban middle class, as well as the complacency of the judiciary and media. While opposition leaders eventually closed ranks in jail, many of them—especially in the RSS—tried to collaborate with the new regime. Those who resisted the Emergency, in the media or on the streets, were few in number. This episode was an acid test for India's political culture. While a tiny minority of citizens fought for democracy during the Emergency, in large numbers the people bowed to the strong woman in power, even worshipped her. Equally importantly, Hindu nationalists were endowed with a new legitimacy. Yet, the Emergency was neither a parenthesis, nor so much a turning point but a concentrate of a style of rule that is very much alive today.Trade Review'A timely reminder that India’s hard-won democratic ethos cannot be taken for granted. … [India’s First Dictatorship] is a compelling account, which displays an extraordinary grasp of the political milieu that led to the state of emergency and provides a level of detail about its consequences never before attempted.' -- Foreign Policy‘[Christophe Jaffrelot and Pratinav Anil] must be complimented for pointing out among other things that democracy had not then, and still has not, become as deep-rooted in India as is necessary for it to strengthen the institutions of the state and benefit all sections of the people… [India’s First Dictatorship] is a welcome … addition to the existing material, most of which either tends to glorify the emergency and play down its excesses, or to vilify the principal participants in that sorry episode of Indian history.’ -- The Commonwealth Lawyer

Read more less