Politics beyond the State Environmental Activism and World Civic Politics

1995 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Wapner

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOS) both lobby states and work within and across societies to advance their interests. These latter efforts are generally ignored by students of world politics because they do not directly involve governments. A study of transnational environmental activist groups (TEAGs) such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and World Wildlife Fund demonstrates that NGO societal efforts indeed shape widespread behavior throughout the world. TEAGs work through transnational social, economic, and cultural networks to shift standards of good conduct, change corporate practices, and empower local communities. This type of practice involves “world civic politics.” That is, TEAGs influence widespread behavior by politicizing global civil society—that slice of collective life which exists above the individual and below the state yet across national boundaries. This article examines the activity of world civic politics as practiced by environmental activists and evaluates its relevance for the study of NGOs and world politics in general.

2021 ◽  

The COVID-19 pandemic forced physicians around the world to make tragic decisions: Whose life should be saved when it is apparent that available resources are insufficient to treat everyone? Under the heading of "triage" a broad societal debate ensued that also ignited the scientific community. This anthology unites voices from medicine, law, and philosophy for a conversation. It reveals controversies that are deeply rooted in ideas of law, morality, and the role of the individual in the state. Simultaneously, answers are being formulated to questions that have become sadly prominent in the COVID pandemic but could also valid beyond it.


Prospects ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 139-150
Author(s):  
Mark Twain

And so Missouri has fallen, that great State! Certain of her children have joined the lynchers, and the smirch is upon the rest of us. That handful of her children have given us a character and labeled us with a name; and to the dwellers in the four quarters of the earth we are “lynchers,” now, and ever shall be. For the world will not stop and think – it never does, it is not its way; its way is to generalize from a single sample. It will not say “Those Missourians have been busy eighty years in building an honorable good name for themselves; these hundred lynchers down in the corner of the State are not real Missourians, they are bastards.” No, that truth will not enter its mind; it will generalize from the one or two misleading samples and say “The Missourians are lynchers.” It has no reflection, no logic, no sense of proportion. With it, figures go for nothing; to it, figures reveal nothing, it cannot reason upon them rationally; it is Brother J. J. infinitely multiplied; it would say, with him, that China is being swiftly and surely Christianized, since 9 Chinese Christians are being made every day; and it would fail, with him, to notice that the fact that 33,000 pagans are born there every day, damages the argument. It would J-J Missouri, and say “There are a hundred lynchers there, therefore the Missourians are lynchers;” the considerable fact that there are two and a half million Missourians who are not lynchers would not affect their verdict any more than it would affect Bro. J. J.'s.


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 197-220
Author(s):  
Oscar Hernán Cerquera Losada

Este documento muestra el Estado de arte de los determinantes del rendimiento académico en la educación media, teniendo en cuenta las principales investigaciones realizadas, tanto a nivel nacional como internacional, acerca de los factores que influyen en el logro escolar de los estudiantes. Con este trabajo, se busca establecer las principales variables, tanto en Colombia como en algunos lugares del mundo, que afectan el desempeño académico de los estudiantes. Este documento se organiza en dos sesiones, determinantes a nivel mundial y determinantes a nivel colombiano; cada sesión clasifica las investigaciones de acuerdo a los factores del estudiante, de la escuela y las características organizacionales y políticas. A pesar de existir muchas investigaciones sobre el tema, aún no se ha llegado a un consenso general sobre cómo determinar los factores del  rendimiento académico, pues en la realidad son muchas las características del individuo, la escuela o el sistema que se relacionan entre sí de diferente manera y pueden afectar el logro estudiantil.ABSTRACTThis document shows the state of the art of the determinants of academic achievement in secondary education, taking into account the main research conducted, both nationally and internationally, about the factors that influence school achievement of students. With this paper, we seek to establish the main variables which affect the academic achievement of students in Colombia as well as in some parts of the world. This document is organized in two sessions: world and Colombian determinants; each session classifies research according to the factors of the student, the school and organizational and political characteristics. Although there is much research on the topic so far it has not been possible to reach a consensus on how to determine the factors of academic achievement, because in reality many characteristics of the individual, of the school or of the system relate to each other differently and can affect student achievement.RESUMOEste documento mostra o Estado da arte dos determinantes do rendimento escolar no ensino medio, tendo em conta às principais pesquisas realizadas, tanto a nível nacional como internacionalmente, sobres os fatores que influenciam o desempenho escolar dos estudantes. Com este trabalho, se procura estabelecer as principais variáveis, tanto na Colômbia e em alguns lugares do mundo, afetando o desempenho acadêmico dos estudantes. Este documento está organizado em duas sessões, determinantes a nível mundial e determinantes a nível colombiano; cada sessão clasifica as pesquisas de acordó a os fatores do estudante, da escola e das características organizacionais e políticas. Embora haja muitas pesquisas sobre o tema, ainda não se chegou a um consenso geral sobre os fatores determinantes no desempenho acadêmico, porque na realidade são muitas as características do indivíduo, a escola ou o sistema que se relacionam uns com os outros de forma diferente e podem afetar o desempenho acadêmico.


2006 ◽  
pp. 70-85
Author(s):  
Vitaliy I. Docush

At the intersection of the second and third millennia in connection with the natural (destruction of the state of the earth, water and atmosphere) and social (alcoholism, drug addiction, immoralism, extremism, wars, etc.) cataclysms that are taking on a global character, the eschatological prophecies about the end of the world have intensified the coming of the millennial Kingdom of God. In contrast to the existing problems, the Kingdom of God is offered as an ideal system of government with such qualitative characteristics as equality, justice, material and spiritual completeness.


Author(s):  
Dražen Marjanac

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia represented a community of six republics with socio-cultural, social and economical differences that increased over the decades, leading to disintegration of the state. Factors that led to the collapse of the state are numerous, such as cultural and religious differences, nationalism, structure and function of the state system, internal and external factors of disintegration, change in the world politics, different levels of economic development of the republics.The economic system of Yugoslavia was based on self-managing model, a hybrid of both capitalism and socialism, which was considered to be the most effective use of capital goods, increasing workforce productivity, distributing the income and creating a product competitive for the domestic and foreign markets. However, this system had tremendous disadvantages which in addition to the changes in the world market led to the state of recession, very high inflation, decrease in workforce productivity and competitiveness of the final products in the markets, eventually resulting in the collapse of the entire system and disintegration of Yugoslavia.


China Report ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.H.M. Ling

The concept of ‘soft power’ impoverishes our understanding of politics. It assumes (i) the world has never encountered instances of ‘soft power’ before or knows no better when encountering it; (ii) culture cannot have any interests, agency or impact of its own; and (iii) it cannot capture the state. History—especially from India and China—debunks these assumptions. I propose a contrasting concept, cultural power. It turns ‘soft power’ on its head by (i) articulating the state as ontology, not instrument; accordingly, (ii) culture can generate its own centre (or centres) of gravitas that (iii) invariably outstrips the state in purpose and identity. To demonstrate, I draw on recent filmic representations from India and China. These replay the power of historical culture, like Hindu reincarnation and/or Confucian love, through a contemporary venue. I conclude with some implications of cultural power for politics, in general, and world politics, in particular.


Curatopia ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 90-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viv Golding ◽  
Wayne Modest

This ambitious chapter draws on a range of voices to examine what the ethnographic museum is and what it can be for the benefit of diverse audiences around the world. Taking their 2013 publication, Museum and Communities: Curators, Collections: Collaborations as a starting point, the authors critically consider their own work internationally, for example with ICOM (The International Council of Museums) and ICOM Namibia, as well as at everyday level with local communities, such as youth groups in Europe. Against increasing fear of difference, and movements to the right in world politics, they foreground the values of human rights, artist collaborations and the development of feminist pedagogy in museum work. Theoretically, the chapter unpacks the notions of the ‘human’, the ‘cosmopolitan’ and the inextricable relation between theory and practice that can underpin collaborative activities in museums of ethnography/world culture today.


2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Connelly

This article narrates the development of a set of ideas and provocative imagery about population growth and movement that has shaped the way people think about world politics. It represented humanity in terms of populations that could and should be controlled to prevent degeneration and preserve civilization. During the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this discursive tradition supported a series of political projects that aimed to either exclude those deemed able to subsist on less and reproduce more or regulate reproduction worldwide. Conceiving of the world in terms of populations – rather than nation-states – led people to think of new ways in which it might be divided, unsettling diplomatic alignments and alliances. But it also contributed to critiques of state sovereignty, since population problems were said to affect everyone and require a united response. This intellectual history helps illuminate some of the local and parochial reasons why people began to ‘think globally’.


Author(s):  
Gehan Gunatilleke

Abstract The freedom of expression is vital to our ability to convey opinions, convictions, and beliefs, and to meaningfully participate in democracy. The state may, however, ‘limit’ the freedom of expression on certain grounds, such as national security, public order, public health, and public morals. Examples from around the world show that the freedom of individuals to express their opinions, convictions, and beliefs is often imperilled when states are not required to meet a substantial justificatory burden when limiting such freedom. This article critiques one of the common justificatory approaches employed in a number of jurisdictions to frame the state’s burden to justify limitations on the freedom of expression—the proportionality test. It presents a case for an alternative approach that builds on the merits and addresses some of the weaknesses of a typical proportionality test. This alternative may be called a ‘duty-based’ justificatory approach because it requires the state to demonstrate—through the presentation of publicly justifiable reasons—that the individual concerned owes others a duty of justice to refrain from the expressive conduct in question. The article explains how this approach is more normatively compelling than a typical proportionality test. It also illustrates how such an approach can better constrain the state’s ability to advance majoritarian interests or offload its positive obligations by limiting the freedom of expression of minorities and dissenting voices.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Festo Wachawaseme Gabriel

Communicating cultural heritage to the public has gained popularity in many African countries and the world at large. However,little efforts have been done to promote the practice of public archaeology in Tanzania. The main reason is the dominance of conventional archaeology which is mainly meant for academic consumption. In this kind of practice, the participation of local communities has been passive. This paper explores local communities’ understanding of cultural heritage resources focusing on local communities in the Mtwara Region of Tanzania. The results of this study reveal that little effort has been made by archaeologists and cultural heritage professionals to create awareness among local communities on matters related to archaeology and cultural heritage resources. Apart from discussing the state of local communities’ awareness on archaeology and cultural heritage resources, the paper also discusses the importance of communicating cultural heritage resources to the general public and the need to engage local communities in the conservation and preservation of cultural heritage resources.


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