Reception or Interpretation studies / Audience Theory Books

Book SynopsisThis book investigates the evolving bilateral relations between China and the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as the global energy system undergoes a profound transformation and the architecture of international trade and investment continues to shift.This book examines how GCC-China relations are evolving as they leverage their resource endowments, structurally transform their economies, and ramp up investments in clean technologies, low-carbon infrastructure, and resilient supply chains. It contemplates the synergistic potential of GCC-China cooperation around three overarching themes: (1) traditional energy, including hydrocarbons and associated petrochemical industries; (2) low carbon energy sources such as renewables, energy efficiency, hydrogen and nuclear energy, and (3) key enablers of the clean energy transition including climate policy framework, sustainable financing, critical minerals and digitalization. The authors of the book envision a future in which joint endeavours foster shared socio-economic benefits and promote an inclusive, orderly energy transition, with potential spillover effects that improves economic integration and structural transformation across the Middle East and North Africa. Using evidence-based and structured analysis, the authors draw on case studies and lessons learned to propose policy recommendations that foster coherence, strategy, and effective coordination between China and the GCC in the areas of energy and sustainability.This book will be an invaluable reference for researchers and academics studying international relations, energy policy and economics, energy geopolitics and Asian and Middle Eastern studies. It will also be useful for policy analysts in academia and think tanks, and advisors and decision-makers in government and private enterprises.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first book that looks into the state and role of investigate journalism in the Arab world. It explores the vital role the media could potentially play in informing and empowering society, to assist in opening up the communicative space in a region where this has previously been taboo.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Rise of Investigative Journalism Globally and in the Arab World 2. Investigative Journalism Training 3. Investigative Journalism Practice 4. Regulatory Frameworks and Freedom of Information 5. Issues and Challenges 6. The Way Forward

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Book SynopsisNaveed Ahmed examines the impact of structural reform strategies of International Financial Institutions(IFIs) on the rule of law, good governance and development in Pakistan.The World Bank, the IMF and other international financial institutions have a mixed track record of success in Pakistan. This book seeks to understand why this is. The book explores how these institutions have been hindered in achieving social justice as a result of being caught between weak local governance structures and the competing interests of other powers, including Europe and the USA. Ahmed goes on to demonstrate how the ethos and instruments of rule of law and good governance can help counter the internal factors that have aggravated conditions of poverty and social injustice in Pakistan.

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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 SynopsisAkietuwopiribie Opuene Hart holds a BSc in Public Administration, an Advanced Diploma in Theology, and two MSc degrees in Environmental Health and Development Studies, along with a PhD in Development Studies.

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Book SynopsisIntroduction.- Part 1 Interdependencies in the Age of Permacrisis – Common Challenges—Divisive Inequalities—Collaborative Solutions.- Part 2 Challenges to the Rule of Law and Parliamentarism by Changing Power Relations.- Part 3 Secession as a Challenge for Multi-Level Systems.- Part 4 Development Cooperation in Challenging Times.- Part 5 Energy Transition and Inclusive Economic Growth.- Part 6 Public and Global Health Strategies.- Part 7 Managing Climate Change Challenges in Cities.- Part 8 Public Management Challenges and Opportunities.- Part 9 The Importance of Culture in International Relations.- Part 10 Future Perspectives.

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Book Synopsis

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