Multi-nodal politics: globalisation is what actors make of it

2009 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 421-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
PHILIP G. CERNY
Keyword(s):  
William Shakespeare ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Multiple Equilibria ◽  
Julius Caesar ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Structural Variables

AbstractWhat has been traditionally conceptualised as ‘the international’ has been undergoing a fundamental transformation in recent decades, usually called ‘globalisation’. Globalisation is a highly contested concept, and even among those who accept that some sort of globalisation process is occurring, attempts to analyse it have focused on a range of structural explanations: the expansion of economic transactions; the development of transnational or global social bonds; and the emergence and consolidation of a range of semi-international, semi-global political institutions. In all of these explanations, the role of actors as agents strategically shaping change has been neglected. In this article I argue that structural variables alone do not determine specific outcomes. Indeed, structural changes are permissive and can be the source of a range of potential multiple equilibria. The interaction of structural constraints and actors’ strategic and tactical choices involves a process of ‘structuration’, leading to wider systemic outcomes. In understanding this process, the concepts of ‘pluralism’ and ‘neopluralism’ as used in traditional ‘domestic’-level Political Science can provide an insightful framework for analysis. This process, I argue, has developed in five interrelated, overlapping stages that involve the interaction of a diverse range of economic, social and political actors. Globalisation is still in the early stages of development, and depending on actors’ choices in a dynamic process of structuration, a range of alternative potential outcomes can be suggested. There is a tide in the affairs of menWhich, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;Omitted, all the voyage of their lifeIs bound in shallows and in miseries.On such a full sea are we now afloat,And we must take the current when it serves,Or lose our ventures.(William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, IV.ii.269–276)

Animal Activism and Interspecies Change

2019 ◽  
pp. 185-201
Author(s):  
Eva Meijer
Keyword(s):  
Political Institutions ◽  
Political Change ◽  
Civil Disobedience ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Stray Dog ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
Human Actors ◽  
Animal Agency

In Chapter 7, the author focuses on the role of non-human animals as agents of social and political change. This role is not usually acknowledged in theory or in animal activism, because non-human animals are not seen as political actors or as agents of social change, even though they act politically and influence human political institutions and practices. This is problematic because it does not recognize non-human animal agency, and reinforces viewing them as mute, in contrast to human actors, which reaffirms anthropocentrism and unequal power relations. We therefore need to explore non-human animal activism and possibilities for interspecies political change. In this chapter, the author first discusses non-human animal acts of resistance, and investigates whether these acts can be seen as civil disobedience. She then turns to the relation between non-human animal oppression and the oppression of human groups via a discussion of intersectionality. This is followed by a discussion of the question of speaking for others, and options for assisting other animals as activists. The final section discusses how stray dog agency can function as a starting point for change.

Institutions Protecting Democracy: A Preliminary Inquiry

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-202
Author(s):  
Mark Tushnet
Keyword(s):  
Political Institutions ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Constitutional Courts ◽  
Additional Function ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Political Outcomes ◽  
Late Twentieth ◽  
Late Twentieth Century

Abstract In the late twentieth century constitution-designers came to understand that, in addition to the three classic Montesquiean functions of law-making, law-applying, and law-interpreting, constitutional institutions had to perform an additional function, that of protecting the constitution itself. That function is performed by constitutional courts, but also by agencies concerned with elections and with corruption. A case study of an important anti-corruption inquiry in South Africa illustrates the proposition that institutions protecting the constitution must combine independence from other political actors with some degree of accountability to them. Following the case study, the Article examines some general characteristics of these institutions, sketching some of the questions about independence and accountability that constitution-designers must consider. Among those questions are the possibility of too much independence, with the institutions having a greater impact on political outcomes than is appropriate, too much responsiveness to non-political but professional concerns such as legality and the details of accounting conventions, and of course too much accountability to the very political institutions that these agencies are designed to regulate. Throughout the Article emphasizes the role of conflicts of interest both in setting the agenda for these agencies and in posing the risk that the agencies will undermine rather than protect the constitution.

Parchment, Equilibria, and Institutions

2000 ◽  
Vol 33 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 735-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Carey
Keyword(s):  
Political Behavior ◽  
Comparative Politics ◽  
Multiple Equilibria ◽  
Institutional Analysis ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Comparative Institutions ◽  
Political Decisions

Institutions are rules that constrain political behavior. Although there is consensus that being written down is neither necessary nor sufficient for an institution to be effective, much research on comparative institutions focuses on formal, parchment, institutions. This article argues that parchment can contribute to the generation of shared mutual expectations among political actors, which are essential to the effectiveness of institutions. Next, the article distinguishes between research that emphasizes the role of institutions in aggregating preferences into political decisions and research that relies on coordination models to identify conditions favoring certain equilibrium outcomes when multiple equilibria are possible. The article notes the increasing prominence of such coordination models in research on comparative institutions and concludes with some reflections about the prospects for this trend to foster connections between institutional analysis and the field of comparative politics more broadly.

The role of political and economic institutions in informal entrepreneurship

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 366-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunice Santos ◽  
Cristina I. Fernandes ◽  
João J. Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Political Institutions ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
National Level ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Multiple Regression Model ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Informal Entrepreneurship

Purpose There has been a diverse range of research on the factors enabling informal entrepreneurship as well as the means to avoid or to eradicate its incidence. However, the authors may also identify how a significant proportion of research on this field of study centres around developing economies and correspondingly justifying the application of such analysis to countries with different levels of economic development as is the case of Europe. The purpose of this paper is to depict the ways in which economic and political institutions influence informal entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach To this end, the authors apply aggregate data at the national level collected from different sources, in particular the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor and Freedom House, for the years between 2006 and 2015 and for 23 European countries amounting to a total of 229 observations (unbalanced panel). Findings Through recourse to econometric estimations, based upon multiple regression model methodologies for panel data, the authors may report that the greater the quality of economic and political institutions, the lower the level of informal entrepreneurship. Originality/value The authors thus seek to contribute towards a better understanding of the influence of institutions and the policies that may feasibly influence informal entrepreneurship.

scholarly journals PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN GERMANY 2021: ROLE AND INFLUENCE OF THE EUROPEAN AGENDA

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 59-67
Author(s):  
Boris Guseletov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Political Institutions ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Election Manifestos ◽  
Angela Merkel ◽  
European Parties ◽  
Public Opinion Polls ◽  
Opinion Polls ◽  
The Eu

The article presents the results of a study of how the role of Germany as the political and economic leader of the EU is perceived in modern Europe, as well as an analysis of possible mechanisms and ways of influencing the results of these elections from the point of view of the panEuropean agenda and from the side of pan-European political institutions, on the eve of the allGerman elections on September 26, 2021.Recent public opinion polls of Europeans showed their positive attitude to Germany and its Chancellor Angela Merkel as informal European leaders. And although the pan-European agenda did not occupy a significant place during the 2021 election campaign, nevertheless, all the leading German parties devoted a significant place to this topic in their election manifestos. Pan-European political actors, first of all, the European parties, also did not stay away from the German elections and, if possible, tried to provide all possible assistance and support to their member parties participating in them.

Economic Growth: New Problems and New Risks

2006 ◽  
pp. 20-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ershov
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Foreign Exchange ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Rate Of Growth

The economic growth, which is underway in Russia, raises new questions to be addressed. How to improve the quality of growth, increasing the role of new competitive sectors and transforming them into the driving force of growth? How can progressive structural changes be implemented without hampering the rate of growth in general? What are the main external and internal risks, which may undermine positive trends of development? The author looks upon financial, monetary and foreign exchange aspects of the problem and comes up with some suggestions on how to make growth more competitive and sustainable.

Lesse Greeke? Homer in Jonson and Shakespeare

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Miola
Keyword(s):  
William Shakespeare ◽  
Free Will ◽  
Ben Jonson ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Julius Caesar ◽  
Troilus And Cressida ◽  
English Translations ◽  
Love's Labor's Lost ◽  
And Function

Throughout their careers both Jonson and Shakespeare often encountered Homer, who left a deep impress on their works. Jonson read Homer directly in Greek but Shakespeare did not, or if he did, he left no evidence of that reading in extant works. Both Jonson and Shakespeare encountered Homer indirectly in Latin recollections by Vergil, Horace, Ovid and others, in English translations, in handbooks and mythographies, in derivative poems and plays, in descendant traditions, and in plentiful allusions. Though their appropriations differ significantly, Jonson and Shakespeare both present comedic impersonations of Homeric scenes and figures – the parodic replay of the council of the gods (Iliad 1) in Poetaster (1601) 4.5 and the appearance of “sweet warman” Hector (5.2.659) in the Masque of the Nine Worthies (Love's Labor's Lost, 1588–97). Homer's Vulcan and Venus furnish positive depictions of love and marriage in The Haddington Masque (1608) as do his Hector and Andromache in Julius Caesar (1599), which features other significant recollections. Both Jonson and Shakespeare recall Homer to explore the dark side of honor and fame: Circe and Ate supply the anti-masque in the Masque of Queens (1609), and scenes from Chapman's Iliad supply the comical or tragical satire, Troilus and Cressida (c. 1601). Both poets put Homer to abstract and philosophical uses: Zeus's chain and Venus's ceston (girdle), allegorized, appears throughout Jonson's work and function as central symbols in Hymenaei (1606); Homer's depiction of the tension between fate and free will, between the omnipotent gods and willing humans, though mediated, inflects the language and action of Coriolanus (c. 1608). Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare practice a kind of inventive imitatio which, according to classical and neo-classical precept, re-reads classical texts in order to make them into something new.

Information-seeking to Support Personal and Community Wellbeing: Report of a study of New Zealand Men Using Focus Groups

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peta Wellstead
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Groupes De Discussion

This paper reports part of an ongoing study exploring the information behaviour of New Zealand men during periods of diminished health and wellbeing. Focus groups were used for this iteration of the study. Results indicate that New Zealand men face both personal and structural constraints to their information-seeking during periods when their health and wellbeing may be compromised. This study highlights that service providers need to develop more effective information delivery mechanisms and support services for men. These services need to be appealing to men and reflect men’s information seeking preferences. The role of LIS professionals in supporting this endeavour is discussed. Cet article présente une étude en cours explorant le comportement informationnel d’ hommes néo-zélandais durant des périodes où leur état de santé et de bien-être est amoindri. Des groupes de discussion ont été utilisés pour cette itération de l'étude. Les résultats indiquent que les hommes en Nouvelle-Zélande font face à des contraintes à la fois  personnelles et structurelles dans leur recherche d'information pendant les périodes où leur santé et leur bien-être peuvent être affaiblis. Cette étude met en évidence le besoin pour les fournisseurs de services de développer des mécanismes de diffusion de l'information plus efficaces et des services de soutien pour les hommes. Ces services doivent être attrayants et refléter les préférences des hommes dans leurs recherches d’information. Le rôle des professionnels de l'information dans le soutien à cette entreprise est discuté.

Exploring the role of identity fusion and group identification in predicting parochialism amongst Indonesian Islamic groups

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Michael Kavanagh ◽  
Susilo Wibisono ◽  
Rohan Kapitány ◽  
Whinda Yustisia ◽  
Idhamsyah Eka Putra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Group Identification ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Identity Fusion ◽  
Beliefs And Practice ◽  
Fusion Theory

Indonesia is the most populous Islamic country and as such is host to a diverse range of Islamic beliefs and practices. Here we examine how the diversity of beliefs and practices among Indonesian Muslims relates to group bonding and parochialism. In particular, we examine the predictive power of two distinct types of group alignment, group identification and identity fusion, among individuals from three Sunni politico-religious groups - a fundamentalist group (PKS), a moderate group (NU), and a control sample of politically unaffiliated citizens. Fundamentalists were more fused to targets than moderates or citizens, but contrary to fusion theory, we found across all groups, that group identification (not fusion) better predicted parochialism, including willingness to carry out extreme pro-group actions. We discuss how religious beliefs and practice impact parochial attitudes, as well as the implications for theoretical models linking fusion to extreme behaviour.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document