Political Theory and Partisan Politics. Edited by Edward Bryan Portis, Adolf G. Gunderson, and Ruth Lessl Shively. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2000. 226p. $59.50 cloth, $19.50 paper.

2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 467-468
Author(s):  
James S. Fishkin

What is the role of political theory in a world of partisan politics? Various approaches to this long-standing problem are raised in this stimulating collection of essays. Arlene Saxonhouse begins the volume by usefully reminding us of Plato's metaphor of the ship in book 6 of the Republic, in which self-interested sailors fight over the boat's direction "while the one who knows how to guide the boat, who can read the stars, stands aft staring upward and is considered useless" (p. 19). Similarly in the Assembly, self-interested rhetoricians may sway the crowd, without any concern for the pursuit of truth.

Author(s):  
Earle Holland

Science writing at a university has to be one of the world's great jobs. If the institution is serious about its research, you're a kid in a candy store. In my case, at Ohio State University, with more than 3,500 faculty, the question is what to write about first—not where to look for stories. Big universities are that way, but the same rules apply for smaller places that are intent on doing great research. Let's begin with the basics. While public information officers at universities face a buffet of varying tasks—from covering boards of trustees' meetings to athletic scandals to student riots—the role of the science PIO is more focused: Concentrate on university research; explain what is new and why it is important to the public. Stated that way, the job seems simple, but science writers at a university may have to jump from astronomy to immunology to psychology to anthropology all in the same week. That represents a lot of intellectual gear shifting; but remember, the rules about reporting on research generally stay the same from field to field. What is the news? Why is it important? What is the context for the research? That is, what are the questions that drive it? Why should the readers care? And last, do the findings point us somewhere new? The only things that change from story to story are the researchers' language and the culture specific to their fields. Nearly every time I give a talk on university science writing—and there have been dozens—someone asks the classic question: How do you find your stories? The glib answer is “Everywhere;” but in truth, that's pretty accurate. Some people envision situations where top researchers have a “eureka” moment and then immediately get on the phone to the campus science writer to get the word out. Or perhaps the researcher's department chair or dean, ever attuned to their colleagues' work, is the one to pass along such news. I wish that were so; but sadly, it's more likely that researcher, department chair, or dean will never think about calling a writer until long after everything else is done.


2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 819-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Hitzer ◽  
Joachim Schlör

This article introduces a special issue that investigates the place of religion in the spatial and cultural organization of west and east European cities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Discussing different frameworks for a conceptualization of the role of religion within the urban context during the past two hundred years, it argues for adopting a broader perspective that takes into account the multiple and often conflicting processes and practices of religious modernization. Thus, it places particular emphasis on scrutinizing a space in between, that is to say, the area of contact between the outward influence on the spatial development of religious communities on the one hand and the inner workings of such communities on the other hand. Based on an 1880s debate over the way Jewish immigrants changed the religious landscape of New York Jewry as well as on the results of the following contributions, it supports a fresh look at the turn of the century as a period of intensified religious life and visibility within metropolises that contributed to the development of more “modern,” individualized forms of religious sociability and, in the same vein, fostered the emergence of modern urbanity.


2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 667-668
Author(s):  
Toni-Michelle C. Travis

Studies of local politics have often narrowly focused on elites, the role of competing interest groups, or the influence of the business community in making key decisions. Nelson's comparative study raises the level of discourse by drawing our attention to the often overlooked role of blacks in municipal politics. In comparing Boston and Liverpool the study expands our understanding of the similarities between racial politics in the United States and in Great Britain.


TEME ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violeta Todorović ◽  
Srđan Furtula ◽  
Danijela Durkalić

Realization of the undeniable role of banks in the functioning of the economic system assumes their successful business, based on the achievement of key financial performance. Interrelatedness and interdependence of bank performance indicators, their dynamic relationship, and interaction, on the one hand, as well as differences and contradictions, on the other hand, require precise monitoring and harmonization by banks, in order to achieve adequate business results and minimize negative financial developments. In this sense, it is very important to choose appropriate ways to measure and manage bank performance. A key role in this process belongs to a banking rating system, measured by CAMELS model. Therefore, the paper attempts a comprehensive analysis of bank performance measurement, using CAMELS model. The aim is to examine the possibility of applying this model to effectively measure the performance of the banking sector in the Republic of Serbia.


TEME ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 1419
Author(s):  
Bálint Pásztor

The author of the article analyzes the specificities of the normative control of the law, i.e. the procedure of assessing the constitutionality and legality of the law in the Republic of Serbia, with the aim of detecting historical and legal preconditions of the effective functioning of the rule of law. The historical perspective of the development of the constitutional judiciary in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia, as well as the analysis of the experiences of various systems of control of constitutionality and legality, open the contextual, scientific-historical and pragmatic dimensions of understanding. The specificity of the system of normative control is reflected in its triplicity, meaning that three institutes are known that characterize different procedural possibilities (to initiate the process of assessing the constitutionality and legality of general acts). The paper is written in order to point out the dichotomy of the proposal and initiative of the procedure of the assessment of constitutionality and legality, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the ex officio procedure. Furthermore, the author wanted to point out the essential and procedural differences between the proposal, the initiative and the constitutional complaint, especially analyzing the purpose of retaining the institute of the initiative in the light of the existence of the constitutional complaint and the fact that the initiative does not imply the automation of the initiation of proceedings. The dilemma that the article opens concerns the possibility that in the case of abolishing the initiative as an institution accessible to all, is it possible to preserve the democratic culture and the participation of citizens, furthermore is it possible to abolish the fundamental institutional values and freedoms of a legal state and the rule of law? The paper opens other issues of importance for the establishment of an effective constitutional architecture that concern: the width of the circle of authorized proposers of normative control before the Constitutional Court; the dual role of the constitutional judiciary: on the one hand protection of the Constitution, constitutionality and legality, on the other hand effective protection of human and minority rights and freedoms.


1997 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-121
Author(s):  
John E. Woods

The Vision of Islam forms part of a series, entitled Visions of Reality,designed to focus on religions as worldviews. According to the statement of theeditorial board on the flyleaf, each religion studied in the series will be presentedin the context of its own inner dynamic or ethos using a methodologyappropriate to itself. Murata and Chittick have succeeded admirably in livingup to this commiunent by allowing Islam to speak through abundant quotationsfrom the Qur'an and the hadith.The outgrowth of an introductory course on Islam taught by the authors atthe State University of New York at Stony Brook for more than a decade, Visionis organized in an innovative manner. After a brief introduction to the Qur'an,its translations, and the life of the Prophet, the authors recount the "hadith ofGabriel" transmitted by both al-Buk:haf1 and Muslim on the authority of 'Umaribn al-Kha.t.tab. According to this repon, the Prophet was questioned by anunknown stranger about the significance of submission (islam), faith (iman),and doing what is beautiful (Ihsan ). After explaining these concepts, the Prophetthen identified this mysterious individual as the angel Gabriel, the being throughwhom God revealed the Qur'an. The remainder of the book is structured aroundthese three elements or dimensions, as the authors term them.Dealing first with the several senses of submission, acceptance, or commitment,Part I describes the essential practices of Islam: the five pillars. An oftenmisunderstood sixth pillar, jihad or struggle, is also discussed cogently. Theauthors then explain the historical articulation of these practices in the formationof the Sunni and Shi'i schools (madhahib), the Shari'ah, and Islamic jurisprudence.Here and elsewhere, variations among the schools are noted.Part II, dealing with imiin, accounts for more than two-thirds of the book,an indication of the relative weight the authors give this dimension. The threefundamental principles of faith-divine unity, prophecy, and eschatology-arethe major topics of this section. The nature of God's absolute unity and transcendenceis explored through a discussion of His signs, attributes, and acts (asmanifested in creation), and Islamic angelology. Here, the text is infused withthe metaphysics of illuminationist philosophy. Notions such as good and evil,human free will and determinism, are linked convincingly with the concepts ofdivine unity and the hierarchy of creation. This argument, in tum, leads logicallyto an account of the role of prophecy and humanity's acceptance of ...


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document