Understanding ‘Source’ and ‘Purpose’ in Processes of Democratic Change: Insights from the Philippines and Thailand

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Hutchcroft
Keyword(s):  
Effective Means ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Social Forces ◽  
Democratic Change ◽  
The World ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Formal Establishment

AbstractPrevious decades' celebrations of the triumph of democracy were frequently based on mainstream analyses that displayed two major theoretical problems. First, conceptualisations of democracy based on ‘minimal pre-conditions’ commonly conflated the formal establishment ofdemocratic structureswith the far more complex and historically challenging creation ofsubstantive democracy. Second, a deductive and generally ahistorical model asserting fixed stages of ‘democratic transition’ diverted attention from deeper and more substantive examination ofstruggles for power among social forces within specific historical contexts. By adhering to minimalist conceptions of democracy and simplistic models of democratic change, mainstream analysts quite often chose to overlook many underlying limitations and shortcomings of the democratic structures they were so keen to celebrate. Given more recent concerns over ‘authoritarian undertow’, those with the normative goal of deepening democracy must begin by deepening scholarly conceptualisations of the complex nature of democratic change. This analysis urges attention to the ‘source’ and ‘purpose’ of democracy. What were the goals of those who established democratic structures, and to what extent did these goals correspond to the ideals of democracy? In many cases throughout the world, ‘democracy’ has been used as a convenient and very effective means for both cloaking and legitimising a broad set of political, social, and economic inequalities. The need for deeper analysis is highlighted through attention to the historical character of democratic structures in the Philippines and Thailand, with particular attention to the sources and purposes of ‘democracy’ amid on-going struggles for power among social forces. In both countries, albeit coming forth from very different historical circumstances, democratic structures have been continually undermined by those with little commitment to the democratic ideal: oligarchic dominance in the Philippines, and military/bureaucratic/monarchic dominance in Thailand. Each country possesses its own set of challenges and opportunities for genuine democratic change, as those who seek to undermine elite hegemony and promote popular accountability operate in very different socio-economic and institutional contexts. Efforts to promote substantive democracy in each setting, therefore, must begin with careful historical analysis of the particular challenges that need to be addressed.

Peri-Urban Development

Urban Studies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuze Yang ◽  
Lin Ye
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Rural Studies ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Urban Periphery ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Ecological Conservation

The study of urban periphery has become an emerging theme in urban and regional research in recent decades. Peri-urban development often refers to the space where city meets the countryside and is also often referred to as urban–rural interface, peri-urban area, edge city, and even suburbs. It is hard to exactly identify the urban periphery since it lacks a clear theoretical definition and material boundary. Some regard it as the space between urban and rural, while some consider it as a dynamic process of the transformation from rural to urban. The ambiguity of peri-urban area has led to neglect and ignorance in both urban and rural studies for a long period, but nowadays an increasing number of scholars have begun to realize that the peri-urban area has its unique characteristics, needs, and problems, which may induce great challenges and opportunities to regional development and governance. Peri-urban development is not limited to individual countries or regions; rather, it is pervasive all over the world, not only in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America but also in developed nations in Europe, North America, and Australia. Nor is peri-urban development an isolated process. It is a broad issue related to a wide range of topics including economic growth, land use transformation, public service provision, ecological conservation, urban planning, social equity, and so on. It shows strong diversity and heterogeneity in driving forces, process, and effects, which highly depend on specific contexts and reflect a complex nature and endless possibilities. Both the similarity and variation in peri-urban development in different parts of the world requires careful attention and thorough examination.

Between Modernization and Stagnation: Economic Policy in 2012

2013 ◽  
pp. 4-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Mau
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Russian Economic Development ◽  
Structural Transformation ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Oil Boom ◽  
The World

The paper deals with the trends in the world and Russian economies towards development of a new post-crisis system, including technological and structural transformation. Three main scenarios of Russian economic development (conservative, innovation and acceleration) are discussed basing on historical analysis of Russian economic performance since 1970-s when oil boom started. On this basis key challenges of economic policy in 2013 are discussed.

The Integral Nature of Ethnicity and Religion during Northern Ireland’s Troubles

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Peter Crowley
Keyword(s):  
Religious Identity ◽  
Historical Narratives ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Political Rights ◽  
The Troubles ◽  
Religious Conflicts ◽  
The World ◽  
Sectarian Conflict ◽  
Civil And Political Rights ◽  
Religious Other

Northern Ireland’s Troubles conflict, like many complex conflicts through the world, has often been conceived as considerably motivated by religious differences. This paper demonstrates that religion was often integrated into an ethno-religious identity that fueled sectarian conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland during the Troubles period. Instead of being a religious-based conflict, the conflict derived from historical divides of power, land ownership, and civil and political rights in Ireland over several centuries. It relies on 12 interviews, six Protestants and six Catholics, to measure their use of religious references when referring to their religious other. The paper concludes that in the overwhelming majority of cases, both groups did not use religious references, supporting the hypothesis on the integrated nature of ethnicity and religion during the Troubles. It offers grounding for looking into the complex nature of sectarian and seemingly religious conflicts throughout the world, including cases in which religion acts as more of a veneer to deeply rooted identities and historical narratives.

The Irresistible Rise of Asian Cinema 1

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Pratley
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Motion Pictures ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
New Wave ◽  
World Today ◽  
The World ◽  
Production Activity ◽  
Exciting Development ◽  
Asian Cinema

PRODUCTION ACTIVITY It was not so many years ago it seems when speaking of motion pictures from Asia meant Japanese films as represented by Akira Kurosawa and films from India made by Satyajit Ray. But suddenly time passes and now we are impressed and immersed in the flow of films from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, South Korea, the Philippines, with Japan a less significant player, and India and Pakistan more prolific than ever in making entertainment for the mass audience. No one has given it a name or described it as "New Wave," it is simply Asian Cinema -- the most exciting development in filmmaking taking place in the world today. In China everything is falling apart yet it manages to hold together, nothing works yet it keeps on going, nothing is ever finished or properly maintained, and yes, here time does wait for every man. But as far...

Comparative Study of Muslim Minorities

1991 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-316
Author(s):  
R. Hrair Dekmejian
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Social Forces ◽  
Communal Identity ◽  
French Canadians ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
The World ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Muslim Minorities ◽  
Cultural Regeneration

Most of the world’s Muslims reside in countries where they are numericallypredominant. As such, these Muslims possess a majoritarian outlook in sharpcontrast to the perspective of minority Muslims living in India, China, theUSSR, and some Western countries. In recent years, Muslim minorities havefound themselves at the confluence of diverse social forces and politicaldevelopments which have heightened their sense of communal identity andapprehension vish-vis non-Muslim majorities. This has been particularlytrue of the crisis besetting the Indian Muslims in 1990-91 as well as the newlyformed Muslim communities in Western Europe.The foregoing circumstances have highlighted the need for serious researchon Muslim minorities within a comparative framework. What follows is apreliminary outline of a research framework for a comparative study of Muslimminorities using the Indian Muslims as an illustrative case.The Salience of TraditionOne of the most significant transnational phenomena in the four decadessince mid-century has been the revival of communal consciousness amongminorities in a large number of countries throughout the world. This tendencytoward cultural regeneration has been noted among such diverse ethnic groupsas Afro-Americans, French Canadians, Palestinian Arabs, the Scots of GreatBritain, Soviet minorities, and native Americans. A common tendency amongthese groups is to reach back to their cultural traditions and to explore thoseroots which have served as the historical anchors of their present communalexistence. Significantly, this quest for tradition has had a salutary impactupon the lives of these communities, for it has reinforced their collectiveand individual identities and has enabled them to confront the multipledifficulties of modem life more effectively. By according its members a sense ...

Democracy in a Time of Misery

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Curato
Keyword(s):  
Field Research ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Gallup Poll ◽  
The Past ◽  
Democratic Action ◽  
The World ◽  
Political Value

Misery rarely features in conversations about democracy. And yet, in the past decades, global audiences are increasingly confronted with spectacles of human pain. The world is more stressed, worried, and sad today than we have ever seen it, a Gallup poll finds. Does democracy stand a chance in a time of widespread suffering? Drawing on three years of field research among communities affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, this book offers ethnographic portraits of how collective suffering, trauma, and dispossession enlivens democratic action. It argues that emotional forms of communication create publics that assert voice and visibility at a time when attention is the scarcest resource, whilst also creating hierarchies of misery among suffering communities. Democracy in a Time of Misery investigates the ethical and political value of democracy in the most trying of times and reimagines how the virtues of deliberative practice can be valued in the context of widespread suffering.

scholarly journals Emerging Therapeutics Based on the Amino Acid Neurotransmitter System: An Update on the Pharmaceutical Pipeline for Mood Disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 247054702110204
Author(s):  
Julia Hecking ◽  
Pasha A. Davoudian ◽  
Samuel T. Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Mood Disorders ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Novel Therapies ◽  
Amino Acid Neurotransmitters ◽  
Neurotransmitter System ◽  
Phase Iii Clinical Trials ◽  
The World

Mood disorders represent a pressing public health issue and significant source of disability throughout the world. The classical monoamine hypothesis, while useful in developing improved understanding and clinical treatments, has not fully captured the complex nature underlying mood disorders. Despite these shortcomings, the monoamine hypothesis continues to dominate the conceptual framework when approaching mood disorders. However, recent advances in basic and clinical research have led to a greater appreciation for the role that amino acid neurotransmitters play in the pathophysiology of mood disorders and as potential targets for novel therapies. In this article we review progress of compounds that focus on these systems. We cover both glutamate-targeting drugs such as: esketamine, AVP-786, REL-1017, AXS-05, rapastinel (GLYX-13), AV-101, NRX-101; as well as GABA-targeting drugs such as: brexanolone (SAGE-547), ganaxolone, zuranolone (SAGE-217), and PRAX-114. We focus the review on phase-II and phase-III clinical trials and evaluate the extant data and progress of these compounds.

The Rise of Digital Repression

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Feldstein
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Political Repression ◽  
The World ◽  
Dna Collection ◽  
Opposition Movements ◽  
Mass Surveillance

This book documents the rise of digital repression—how governments are deploying new technologies to counter dissent, maintain political control, and ensure regime survival. The emergence of varied digital technologies is bringing new dimensions to political repression. At its core, the expanding use of digital repression reflects a fairly simple motivation: states are seeking and finding new ways to control, manipulate, surveil, or disrupt real or perceived threats. This book investigates the goals, motivations, and drivers of digital repression. It presents case studies in Thailand, the Philippines, and Ethiopia, highlighting how governments pursue digital strategies based on a range of factors: ongoing levels of repression, leadership, state capacity, and technological development. But a basic political motive—how to preserve and sustain political incumbency—remains a principal explanation for their use. The international community is already seeing glimpses of what the frontiers of repression look like, such as in China, where authorities have brought together mass surveillance, online censorship, DNA collection, and artificial intelligence to enforce their rule in Xinjiang. Many of these trends are going global. This has major implications for democratic governments and civil society activists around the world. The book also presents innovative ideas and strategies for civil society and opposition movements to respond to the digital autocratic wave.

The World in the Process of Change: Challenges and Opportunities for Russia

2011 ◽  
pp. 3-30
Author(s):  
S. Chebanov
Keyword(s):  
Political Development ◽  
International Security ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Process Of Change ◽  
Academic Conference ◽  
The World ◽  
90Th Anniversary ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Current Stage

This is a publication of the materials of academic conference “The world in the process of change: challenges and opportunities for Russia” held in April 2011 in IMEMO and chaired by academician A. Dynkin, the Institute’s Director. The conference was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of academician N. Inozemtsev. In their reports the Conference participants analyze the Russian economic and political development at the current stage, the issues of modernization, the problems of the developing world, international security in the XX century, etc.

Environments of Empire

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
British Empire ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
The World

The age of European high imperialism was characterized by the movement of plants and animals on a historically unprecedented scale. The human migrants who colonized territories around the world brought a variety of other species with them, from the crops and livestock they hoped to propagate, to the parasites, invasive plants, and pests they carried unawares, producing a host of unintended consequences that reshaped landscapes around the world. While the majority of histories about the dynamics of these transfers have concentrated on the British Empire, these nine case studies--focused on the Ottoman, French, Dutch, German, and British empires--seek to advance a historical analysis that is comparative, transnational, and interdisciplinary to understand the causes, consequences, and networks of biological exchange and ecological change resulting from imperialism.

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