Analyzing the Politics of Legislative Debate

2021 ◽  
pp. 21-33
Author(s):  
Michael Laver
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Policy Positions ◽  
Official Record ◽  
Prime Concern ◽  
Actual Policy ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
True Preferences ◽  
Meaningful Sense

This chapter considers why we should be interested in the politics of legislative debate. What does the analysis of legislative debate contribute to our understanding of politics more generally? This is particularly important given that legislative debate is not actually “debate” in any meaningful sense of the word, and that most legislators are not even present when most legislative speeches are made. The answers offered here rest on the assumption that speeches in the legislature allow legislators to commit to policy positions on the official record. If the main concern is politics between parties, debate speeches tend to concern actual policy implementation, likely closer to “true” preferences than electoral aspirations and promises. If the prime concern is politics within parties, debate speeches can give insight into internal party policy divisions, even in settings where the final legislative party vote is tightly whipped.

scholarly journals What motivates street-level bureaucrats to implement the reforms of elected politicians?

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-160
Author(s):  
Don S. Lee ◽  
Soonae Park
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Policy Positions ◽  
Street Level ◽  
Implementing Change ◽  
Local Politicians ◽  
Street Level Bureaucrats ◽  
Insight Into

The aim of this article is to explore the motivations of street-level bureaucrats when implementing change initiated by elected politicians. We analyse experimental data on more than 1,800 local civil servants from all 243 local governments in South Korea and find that street-level bureaucrats are more likely to implement change instigated by local elected politicians when their own policy positions are reflected in the reforms. Moreover, the degree to which street-level bureaucrats are likely to execute reforms instigated by local politicians is greater when bureaucrats perceive themselves as having more freedom to exercise discretion. These findings reveal a behavioural insight into the conditions in which bureaucrats are more likely to respond to change championed by elected politicians versus conditions where they are more likely to follow existing rules in the policy implementation process.

Bees in Antiquity

Antiquity ◽  
1942 ◽  
Vol 16 (63) ◽  
pp. 208-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grahame Clark
Keyword(s):  
Human Beings ◽  
Prime Concern ◽  
The Social ◽  
Frame Work ◽  
Insight Into

As purveyors of honey and wax, substances rated high by early man, bees would seem to deserve more attention from archaeologists than they have in fact received. In this respect they serve to point a moral. The tendency has all too frequently been to concentrate on those aspects of ancient cultures which lend themselves most easily to classification, to the neglect of those which promise the closest insight into the working of the societies under review, thus inverting the true outlook of the archaeologist and turning him away from the activities of human beings towards a world of abstractions. The thesis one would like to urge is that the prime concern of archaeology is the study of how men have lived in society, of how within the social frame-work they have striven to satisfy and multiply their wants. From such a standpoint the means adopted to gratify the taste for sweet things, a taste shared by man and beast and physiological in its basis, merits at least as much attention as current fashions in safety-pins and other topics beloved of ‘museologists’

scholarly journals Challenges and Prospects of Youth Entrepreneurship Development in a Designated Community in the Western Cape, South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saphetha Appie Gwija ◽  
Chux Gervase Iwu .
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Entrepreneurship Development ◽  
Inhibiting Factor ◽  
Prime Concern ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Youth Entrepreneurship ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities ◽  
Insight Into

In a job-scarce environment, where unemployment is rife the need for fostering entrepreneurship especially among youth is a prime concern. This is arguably the case in South Africa, where despite a number of government-pioneered interventions, the level of youth entrepreneurship, particularly in township areas remains unsatisfactory. This study takes a two-pronged approach to establish specific factors that are inhibiting youth entrepreneurship development, and determine the prospects of youth entrepreneurship development in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape, South Africa. The data was collected via self-administered questionnaires that were distributed to 132 respondents, which were randomly drawn from a population of 200 youth entrepreneurs registered on the database of a local organisation which promotes and develops entrepreneurship in the Western Cape. The findings revealed, among others, that a major inhibiting factor to entrepreneurship development is the lack of awareness and inaccessibility of youth entrepreneurship support structures and initiatives in this community. Interestingly though, this hindrance does not appear to have a negative bearing on the identified growing enthusiasm of the youth to engage in entrepreneurial activities. Overall, on the basis of the challenges and prospects revealed, recommendations to improve the current situation are made. This study is an applied research effort and its relevance is linked to the fact that it provides rare insight into the state of youth entrepreneurship in a large but under-researched township community in the Western Cape. The findings and recommendations therefore bear far-reaching ramifications for all stakeholders who are concerned about developing youth entrepreneurship in this society.

Phasing-Out Nuclear Power Generation in Germany: Policies, Actors, Issues and Non-Issues

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lutz Mez ◽  
Annette Piening
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Nuclear Movement ◽  
Nuclear Policy ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
To Come ◽  
Phase Out ◽  
Actual Policy ◽  
Insight Into

The phase-out of nuclear power in Germany is one of the priorities of the Red-Green Government which took office in October 1998. Despite continuous and broad-based public criticism, up until 1998 federal nuclear policies had sided with the pro-nuclear alliance and supported the industry through a number of tax and regulatory privileges. Thus, the phase-out decision marks a fundamental revision of past nuclear policy guidelines. After one-and-a-half years of negotiations between industry and government, in the course of which a number of controversies had to be solved, agreement was reached on the gradual phasing-out of nuclear energy use in Germany on June 14, 2000. The paper presents the actors' policies, analyses issues and non-issues in the negotiations. It shows that different positions within the Federal Government and the lack of support from the anti-nuclear movement for the Government's phase-out strategy strengthened the industry's ability to assert their position. The industry's motivation for taking such an assertive position is illustrated by an insight into the economic conditions of operating nuclear plant in Germany. The paper concludes that the phase-out strategy sketched in the coalition treaty could not fully be translated into actual policy measures. Instead industry succeeded in a number of important issues, the most important of them being the fact that the agreement guarantees the politically undisturbed operation of nuclear power plants for the years to come.

A Computer Simulation Approach for Analyzing Occupational Accidents

1976 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 226-235
Author(s):  
Robert J. Smillie ◽  
Mahmoud A. Ayoub
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Computer Algorithm ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Simulation Approach ◽  
Accident Investigation ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Basic Concepts ◽  
Insight Into

How do accidents happen? A question that plagued scientific research for years, but remains the main concern for research and practitioners in safety and health. No one theory seems to be adequate to explain all accidents. Epidemiology offers some insight into the accident investigation by analyzing the interaction of host, agent, and environment. Only the modeling approach offers the flexibility needed to study all the factors involved in the accident phenomenon. This study used a computer algorithm, the Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (Q-GERT), to model the accident process. Five simulation examples were presented to illustrate the basic concepts and flexibility of the proposed approach. Discussion focused on the usefulness of this simulation technique as an aid for the accident investigator in the discovery of potential hazards in the occupational system.

Gender, Parties, and Support for Equal Rights in the Brazilian Congress

2006 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 83-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mala Htun ◽  
Timothy J. Power
Keyword(s):  
Gender Issues ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Gender Quotas ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
Party Membership ◽  
Policy Positions ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
Abortion Laws ◽  
The Right ◽  
Actual Policy

AbstractThis article analyzes a dataset of policy views of members of the Brazilian Congress to assess the nature of support for genderrelated policy issues. It makes three core claims. First, liberal and progressive opinions on gender correspond to party membership more than to sex. Left parties have consistent and programmatic policy positions on controversial gender issues. Women and men are more divided, as are parties of the center and the right. Second, coalitions supporting change differ across policy issues. Support for gender quotas, for example, does not translate into support for more liberal abortion laws. Third, there is a large gap between legislators' attitudes toward gender-related policy and actual policy outcomes. Institutional deadlock and executive priorities explain this discrepancy. This article concludes that although women may share some interests by virtue of their position in a gender-structured society, these interests may be trumped by partisan, class, regional, and other cleavages.

Religious Legacies, Churches, and the Shaping of Immigration Policies in the Age of Religious Diversity

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Minkenberg
Keyword(s):  
Immigration Policy ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Immigration Policies ◽  
Policy Positions ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The Family ◽  
The One ◽  
State Relations ◽  
Actual Policy ◽  
Western Democracies

AbstractWestern democracies are undergoing a process of extraordinary religious and cultural pluralization which is largely a result of an intensified immigration over the last decades. This article analyzes in a structural and an actor-oriented perspective the way in which religion affects the immigration policies in 19 Western democracies. Based on a typology of immigration regimes in 19 Western democracies, the article asks what role Christian legacies (Catholic and Protestant traditions, church-state regimes, Christian parties) and churches (both Catholic and Protestant) play in bringing about particular immigration policies. It follows the “family of nations” concept in comparative policy research (F. Castles) and argues that the interplay of nation building, religious traditions and church-state-relations affect churches' role in the making of immigration policy. This role signifies a disjuncture between the countries' general patterns of religious traditions and immigration policies on the one hand, and the actual policy positions and effects of churches on the other.

scholarly journals Insight into the dynamics of second grade hybrid radiative nanofluid flow within the boundary layer subject to Lorentz force

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Jawad ◽  
Anwar Saeed ◽  
Asifa Tassaddiq ◽  
Arshad Khan ◽  
Taza Gul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Motion ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Shrinking Sheet ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Nanofluid Flow ◽  
Continuity Equations ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Fluid Parameter ◽  
Homotopy Analysis ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractThe magnetohydrodynamic hybrid second-grade nanofluid flow towards a stretching/shrinking sheet with thermal radiation is inspected in current work. Main concern of current investigation is to consider hybrid $$Al_{2} O_{3} - Cu$$ A l 2 O 3 - C u nanofluid which is perceived by hanging two dissimilar kinds of nanoparticles known as alumina and copper within the base fluid. The fluid motion is produced by non-linear stretching/shrinking sheet. The modeled equations which comprise of energy, motion and continuity equations are changed into dimensionless form using group of similar variables. To determine the solution of transformed problem, the Homotopy Analysis technique is used. The findings of this work revealed that the magnetic parameter improves the heat transfer rate. This work also ensures that there are non-unique solutions of modeled problem for shrinking case and a unique solution for stretching case. Higher values of $${\text{Re}}_{x}$$ Re x results in declining of flow field. Rise in $$M$$ M agrees to a decline in velocity distributions. Higher values of second order fluid parameter reduces the viscosity of fluid and accordingly velocity increases. Velocity profile is also a decreasing function of volume friction.

scholarly journals Agami (The Time Ahead, 1984), the First “Short Film” of Bangladesh: Toward a New Cinematic Aesthetic of Imaging Time and Nation

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahmida Akhter
Keyword(s):  
Short Film ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Independent Film ◽  
Military Dictatorship ◽  
Alternative Mode ◽  
Political Condition ◽  
Political Turmoil ◽  
The Military ◽  
Insight Into

Morshedul Islam’s Agami ( The Time Ahead, 1984), focusing on the theme of the Liberation War of Bangladesh, is Bangladesh’s first “short film” or independent film, made outside the domain of commercial film production. The film pioneers in investing the memory of the Liberation War with allegorical potential in order to interpret the socio-political condition of Bangladesh under the military dictatorship of Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad. His regime lasted for eight years, from 1982 to 1990. Linear progression of time is interrupted in this film by a constant collapsing of the past, present, and future into each other through the treatment of storytelling, flashbacks, and flashforward. This disruption of time’s flow, I will argue, is employed to serve a nationalistic purpose, offering an insight into the psychic condition of contemporary Bangladesh and its socio-political crisis under the military dictatorship of General Ershad. In analyzing the film, my main concern is to understand how a film like Agami, with its oppositional socialist commitments and with the aspiration of creating an alternative mode of cinematic language, constructs the ideas of gender, nation, and memory during a period of pronounced political turmoil. I will also explore its new cinematic aesthetics as a “short film” or independent film of Bangladesh.

Human Trafficking in Malaysia

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Nur Ibtisam Wan Ismail ◽  
Raja Noriza Raja Ariffin ◽  
Kee Cheok Cheong
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Control Structure ◽  
Hierarchical Control ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Trafficking In Persons ◽  
Effective Policy ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Implementation Experience ◽  
Insight Into

Recent studies have suggested that migrants are highly vulnerable to being trafficked. Malaysia, with its large number of migrants is vulnerable and is struggling to implement its Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007. There is also little information on implementation experience so far. Through in-depth interviews with government bureaucrats and other stakeholders, this study seeks to gain some insight into Malaysia’s policy implementation experience. It finds inadequate coordination, limited resources, poor information flow, enforcement approach, hierarchical control structure, and need for change as the major factors constraining effective policy implementation.

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