scholarly journals Riders on the storm: the role of populism in the global crisis of democracy and in the functioning of electoral autocracies

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-225
Author(s):  
István Benedek

Abstract It is my contention that populism could be an appropriate framework to describe, explain and connect the phenomena of global crisis of democracy and functioning of electoral autocracies. In order to substantiate this claim, with the method of literature review, I examine first the characteristics of these phenomena. Then I focus on the nature of the relationship between them, in particular on the complex system of new types of autocracies’ stability, in which populism could play a crucial role. Populism, understood as an autocratic (re-)interpretation of democracy and representation, could be a particularly dangerous Trojan Horse for democracy. First and foremost, because its idea of a single, homogeneous and authentic people that can be legitimately represented only by the populist leader is a moralised form of antipluralism which is contrary to the pluralist approach of democracy (i.e. polyarchy). For precisely this reason, populism could play a key role in autocracies, especial in electoral autocracies which may use its core elements. Namely, the Manichean worldview, the image of a homogeneous people, people-centrism and the autocratic notion of representation are very compatible with electoral autocracies, since these regimes hold general elections and their power is built largely upon the alleged will of the people. By using populism, it is possible for these regimes to camouflage and even legitimise their autocratic trends and exercise of power behind the formally multi-party but not fair elections and democratic façade. As a radical turn towards closed autocracies (without de facto multiparty elections) would be too expensive, electoral autocrats need manipulated multi-party elections and other plebiscite techniques that could serve as quasi-democratic legitimation. Because of this, they tend to use the political logic of populism which could transform political contestation to a life- and- death struggle and provides quasi-democratic legitimation and other important cognitive functions. Therefore, populist electoral autocracies, as a paradigmatic type of electoral autocracies, could remain with us for a long time, giving more and more tasks to researchers, especially in the Central and Eastern European region.

2008 ◽  
pp. 61-76
Author(s):  
A. Porshakov ◽  
A. Ponomarenko

The role of monetary factor in generating inflationary processes in Russia has stimulated various debates in social and scientific circles for a relatively long time. The authors show that identification of the specificity of relationship between money and inflation requires a complex approach based on statistical modeling and involving a wide range of indicators relevant for the price changes in the economy. As a result a model of inflation for Russia implying the decomposition of inflation dynamics into demand-side and supply-side factors is suggested. The main conclusion drawn is that during the recent years the volume of inflationary pressures in the Russian economy has been determined by the deviation of money supply from money demand, rather than by money supply alone. At the same time, monetary factor has a long-run spread over time impact on inflation.


Author(s):  
Zoran Oklopcic

As the final chapter of the book, Chapter 10 confronts the limits of an imagination that is constitutional and constituent, as well as (e)utopian—oriented towards concrete visions of a better life. In doing so, the chapter confronts the role of Square, Triangle, and Circle—which subtly affect the way we think about legal hierarchy, popular sovereignty, and collective self-government. Building on that discussion, the chapter confronts the relationship between circularity, transparency, and iconography of ‘paradoxical’ origins of democratic constitutions. These representations are part of a broader morphology of imaginative obstacles that stand in the way of a more expansive constituent imagination. The second part of the chapter focuses on the most important five—Anathema, Nebula, Utopia, Aporia, and Tabula—and closes with the discussion of Ernst Bloch’s ‘wishful images’ and the ways in which manifold ‘diagrams of hope and purpose’ beyond the people may help make them attractive again.


Author(s):  
Khrystyna Kvit ◽  
Viacheslav Kharchenko

 Researchers have studied the connection between cholesterol and microbiota for a long time. The results of widely published data demonstrate that the relationship between the lipid balance of the blood and the composition of the intestinal microbiota is apparent. The oblective of this study was, we tried to find the path through which this connection is carried out. Furthermore, the aim was to analyze the studies, which demonstrate the decrease of blood lipids as the result of different prebiotics and probiotics prescribtion. Also, the screening of different data from previous years was done for comparing the changes in the pathogenesis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-111
Author(s):  
MING-SUNG KUO

Abstract:This article aims to provide an alternative account of political constitutionalism by situating it in a broader process of constitutional politics than the traditional court vs parliament debate has suggested. Drawing upon Robert Cover’s distinction between the jurispathic and the jurisgenerative constitution, I argue that parliamentary decision-making is not necessarily more congenial to a jurisgenerative constitutional order than judicial review as political constitutionalists contend. I trace the jurispathic character of current scholarship on political constitutionalism to the presupposition of institutional sovereignty in a narrow understanding of constitutional politics, which its defenders share in common with the supporters of judicial supremacy. To move towards a robust version of non-court-centred jurisgenerative constitutionalism, which I call constitutional jurisgenesis, we need to rethink the place of politics in a constitutional order. From Cover’s idea of constitutionalnomosI take two further lessons for this new understanding of constitutional politics. First, constitutional theory should reconsider the role of institutional sovereignty in the relationship between law and politics in constitutional orders. Second, to engage the people in constitutional politics, we need to shift attention from the popular sovereignty-centred debate to constitutional narratives, which are oriented towardsnomos-building.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-85
Author(s):  
Datendra Kumar Golay ◽  
Mahamad Sayab Miya ◽  
Sachin Timilsina

Chiuri trees and beekeeping are the major sources of livelihood among the Chepang community. The study was performed to assess the role of Chiuri on livelihood improvement of the Chepang community through beekeeping and to analyze the efforts of CFUGs to conserve the Chiuri in Silinge Community Forest User Group, Raksirang-6, Makawanpur district, Nepal. Focus Group Discussion, Key Informant Survey and Individual interview in households were carried out for the study from January to March 2019. With the increasing demand for organic honey made from Chiuri, the locals of the Chepang village in Makawanpur have started generating a good income from beekeeping. The majority (63%) of the respondents reported that the trends of the status of beekeeping were increasing in households. The selling of honey was the main source of income for the people of Silinge CFUGs. 1/3 of households earned the money in the range of NRs 200,000 (US$ 1,720.83) - NRs 300,000 (US$ 2,581.24). Physical capital and financial capital have significantly increased, whereas human, social and natural capitals were in increasing trends. The relationship between Chiuri and honey bees was very positive for both. The marketing system of Chiuri is not well developed in the study area. The Chepang community will get more prices after certifying their products as organic. Organic Certification of Nepal (OCN) should conduct studies about organic honey.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-35
Author(s):  
Ta’mirotul Biroroh

The mechanism for transferring people's sovereignty is carried out through general elections to elect leaders and representatives of the people who will be mandated to carry out state and government affairs in accordance with the provisions contained in the legislation. One of the interesting developments from the point of view of the Indonesian state administration began when Indonesia experienced a transitional period of general elections (elections) which are one of the main pillars of democracy. In Indonesia, the existence of an election management body has existed since the 1955 general election until now. In every course of political history, Indonesia has several different institutional models of election management from time to time.  The General Election Commission in Indonesia it is called Komisi Pemilihan Umum (KPU) is an institution that carries out the function of organizing elections in Indonesia. In addition to the KPU, there are institutions that also play an important role in the implementation of elections and are closely related to the existence of the KPU, namely survey institutions that carry out quick count processes. The survey institutions in a number of developing countries, especially those that are actively building democracy, are also not a little doubted by their moral honesty, at least being sued with a critical attitude such as the existence of a poll on the existence of a political survey institution, which has resulted in an attitude of uncertainty about the performance survey agency. This condition makes people less confident in the survey results which are considered no longer independent. It is proven that every time an election is held, a number of survey institutions seem to want to lead public opinion towards certain contestants. This is certainly very unfortunate considering that the survey results are one of the important instruments in democracy.


For a long time, a separation has been made between medicine and spirituality, but since the 90s, there has been an advent of spirituality after several researchers in North America have found that this dimension is linked to several pathologies and could play a role in the recovery of psychiatric patients. After a brief reminder about spirituality and religion and some concepts of mental health, we present three qualitative studies. The first aims to measure the degree of religiosity of the consultants of the center of addiction of Marrakech by using A religiosity Scale created by DR Dany R.Khalaf. The result of this first study is unequivocal, the patients of the center of addictology have a middle degree of religiosity with a certain profile a clear male predominance having less than 30 years, sedentary. Half of them is unemployed and did not passed secondary school in non-religious schools. Mostly Muslim, while occasionally consuming alcohol and consuming more than 10 cigarettes a day. The second study attempts to establish a link between religiosity and the impact it may have on the abstinence of alcohol addicts. The final result of this study is that religiosity has a definite impact on alcohol dependent abstinence and is even the main reason behind the abstinence of some patients. The third study sought to demonstrate the relationship between religion and suicidality among depressed patients. The result is that religion is one of the reasons for abandoning suicidal ideation and that it brings tremendous benefit to patients, which make them quit the idea of committing suicide. During both studies, questions relating to the integration of the spiritual and religious aspects of care were asked. The majority of patients want spirituality and religiosity / religion to be taken into consideration and integrated into their care while being with their doctor. After having seen all the benefits of spirituality and the positive effect it had on patients in the various studies, we can only conclude that spirituality has a primordial and very important role in the care of patients. . Herein, everything needs to be done, a protocol of care taking should be established, including this dimension and future psychiatrists needs to be trained to do it, and it should include a panelist such as “the leaders of the cults” in the care.


Author(s):  
Оlena Korotkova ◽  

Fundamental differences in the value categories of the Ukrainian people and the clergy have a long history. The specific attitude of the people to the representatives of the elite clerical caste of society in different historical periods had many contradictions. Ukrainians have deep respect for traditional religious cults for a long time, but openly mocked and distrusted church and clergy. At a time of growing anti-feudal popular sentiments, the clergy became an unconditional example of negative social behavior and the embodiment of a rigid state exploitative policy in the people's consciousness. Popular protest manifested itself in satirical and humorous folklore – fairy tales, fables, stories, parodies, jokes. Representatives of the clergy appeared in folklore in the form of greedy priests, prone to drunkenness and brawls, deacons who spent working and free time in the inn and at the gaming table. Folk artists sharply ridiculed the ignorance of priests and their unwillingness to perform their direct duties. The problems of the relationship between the clergy and the peasantry and its coverage in folklore were covered in ancient chronicles, stories, scientific and ethnographic publications of prominent researchers and representatives of the literary elite. In the XIX – early XX century most periodicals paid much attention to the publication of folk tales, jokes, poetic stories. For example, outstanding masterpieces of folk humor were „The Lamentation of the Kiev Monks”, which was first published in 1881 in the magazine „Russian Antiquity” and „Poem about Father Negrebetsky”, which was published in the „Notes of the NTSh” in 1905. humorous works are published in multi-volume books by P. Chubynsky, ethnographic collections by M. Dikaryov, collections by the outstanding philologist B. Hrynchenko, „Notes of NTSh” edited by I. Franko, etc. A large layer of folk anti-clerical humor was preserved in the form of folk jokes, the heroes of which were clumsy priests and uneducated flocks. Folk playgrounds and performances of „merrymakers” and buffoons were perceived by the priesthood as manifestations of demons. They violated the sacred dogmas of the church, and therefore were subject to destruction. But attempts to destroy the satirical and humorous folk tradition led to completely opposite results – laughter became a sharp weapon for the people, able to resist oppression and violence.


Author(s):  
Ira Robinson

The social, economic and religious pressures encountered by Eastern European Jews who emigrated to North America have been well documented. But focus on these areas has mostly failed to take into account the relationship between Orthodox Judaism and the process of adaptation to the New World. At the turn of the century, Orthodox rabbis, immigrants themselves, actively wrestled with the competing demands of Orthodox tradition and modern society. One such rabbi, Judah (Yudel) Rosenberg, brought with him to Canada a background combining both traditional Hasidism and secular learning. Rosenberg sought to draw the people closer to tradition by making it more accessible to them. Mysticism, especially, he viewed as the key to the preservation and regeneration of Judaism amongst a population that found it easier to make excuses than to follow the letter of religious law.


Author(s):  
Bogna Ludwig

The article is dedicated to the role of polychrome solutions of the architectonic order in the concept of the Baroque façade. The ancient principles of designing architectural structures, inherited from the Renaissance were subjected to reinterpretations in order to impart different expressive values. The arrangements of façades, initially balanced or even horizontal, were replaced by ambiguous bivalent compositions. Vertical layouts began to dominate in the Baroque. Appropriately selected polychrome of the elements of the order could emphasize the compositional expression. The relationship between the layout of the polychrome in a given architectural order and the expression of a work of art has been established for quite a long time. However, the generally available data on color schemes of architectural structures in baroque buildings are still not fully organized. The paper analyses examples of Baroque façades preserved in their original state and revalorized in recent years after thorough conservator’s research in the field of architecture and color. The examples are mainly designed in the so-called great order, i.e. pertaining largely to church façades. In the Baroque, the vertical direction of the composition was strongly emphasized by multiplying or applying perspective arrangements of supports, and finally by embattled entablatures. The decisive field of change became the shaping of the coloristic decoration of the entablature – decisions regarding the material and color separation of elements of the frieze above the supports. The uniform color of all vertical elements of the façade structure guaranteed an unambiguous verticality of the composition.


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