Verstaatlichung und Entschädigung in Österreich

Umfassende Aufarbeitung des österreichischen Enteignungsrechts anhand der Causa Bleckmann Die Verstaatlichung von Unternehmen spielte in der Zweiten Republik eine bedeutende Rolle. In den Jahren 1946 und 1947 wurden zahlreiche Großbetriebe, unter anderem die Schoeller-Bleckmann Stahlwerke AG, per Gesetz verstaatlicht - und ab 1993 wieder privatisiert. Damit ging ein denkwürdiges Kapitel österreichischer Industriegeschichte zu Ende. Die Brisanz dieses kontroversen Themas hierzulande besteht aber fort. Stets ist es dabei um Geld, Macht und Einfluss gegangen. Und auch heute - 75 Jahre später - ist die Aufarbeitung der Verstaatlichung in Österreich noch nicht abgeschlossen. Welche juristische Dimension damit verbunden ist, beleuchtet die vorliegende Monografie. The nationalization of enterprises played an important role in the Austrian 2nd Republic. In the years 1946 and 1947 numerous large enterprises, Schoeller-Bleckman Stahlwerke AG among others were nationalized per law - and from 1993 again privatized. With it ended a memorable chapter of Austrian industry. The explosive force of this controversial topic in Austria continues until today. It has always been about money, power and influence. Until today – 75 years later – the reappraisal of nationalization in Austria has still not been closed. Which juridical dimension is linked therewith is highlighted in the submitted monography.

The Family Friendliness That Wasn’t: Access, but Not Progress, for Women in the Czech Judiciary

Despite the fact that three-fifths of Czech judges are women, it would be a mistake to consider the Czech judiciary “feminized”: it is characterized by vertical gender segregation and a slow “defeminization” in positions of power and influence. The key to understanding both women’s presence overall and absence at the top is the gendered division of labor, especially in the home. The same reason why many women enter the judiciary—better reconciliation of private and professional lives than in other legal professions—is the reason why women do not progress—their “second shift” at home prevents them from ascending the career ladder.

“You Have No Idea What We Do”: Correctional Officers, Mental Health, and Prison Ethnography

Correctional officers occupy key positions of power and influence in prisons, yet experience massive stress and perceive themselves as vulnerable. Existing research outlines the significant mental health challenges officers face, but there is limited information on exactly how mental health concerns influence officer behavior on a day-to-day basis. I draw on ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews with 131 Canadian provincial correctional officers, to demonstrate that stress, perceptions of vulnerability, and tension between management and staff strongly influence officer behavior. My participants outline common officer narratives relating to mental health, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and even suicide. In addition, a portion of officers describe using substances to manage stress. I detail how these narratives influence officer behavior toward prisoners, managers, other officers, and people outside prison. I conclude by examining existing mental health programming for officers and assess what steps correctional administrators can take to address common concerns.

Leading the Way, but Also Following the Trend: The Slovak National Party

Despite spells outside parliament, with its blend of nationalist and populist appeals the Slovak National Party (SNS) has been a prominent fixture on Slovakia’s political scene for three decades. Unlike some of the newer parties in Slovakia and across the region, partly as a product of the point of its (re-)creation, SNS has a comparable organizational density to most established parties in the country and has invested in party branches and recruiting members. Although ordinary members exercised some power and influence during the fissiparous era of the early 2000s, SNS has been notable for the role played by its leader in decision-making and steering the party. Each leader placed their stamp on the projection, pitch and functioning of the party, both as a decision-making organization and an electoral vehicle. Ordinary members have been largely—but not exclusively—relegated to the role of cheerleaders and campaigners for the party’s tribunes; a situation which has not changed significantly in the era of social media. The pre-eminent position of the leader and the limited options for “voice” has led unsuccessful contenders for top posts and their supporters to opt instead for “exit.” Despite having some of the traits of the mass party and having engaged in some of the activities common for mass parties, especially in the earlier years of its existence, in more recent times in particular, SNS falls short of the mass party model both in aspiration and reality.

How Should the State Interact Constitutionally with Corporations which have significant power and influence over its population? Lessons from the Impeachment of Warren Hastings, 1788-1795

How to maintain constitutional accountability over large corporations is an increasing theme in contemporary politics. The impeachment trial of Warren Hastings in 1788-1795 addressed this directly with the behaviour of the East India Trading Company. What lessons for today are illustrated by this historical trial?

Revisiting Insularity and Expansion: A Theory Note

What is the relationship between insularity—a state’s separation from other states via large bodies of water—and expansion? The received wisdom, prominent in (though not exclusive to) realist theories, holds that insularity constrains expansion by making conquest difficult. We contend, by contrast, that this received wisdom faces important limits. Focusing on U.S. expansion via means short of conquest, we interrogate the underlying theoretical logics to demonstrate that insular powers enjoy two distinct advantages when it comes to expansion. First, insularity translates into a “freedom to roam”: because insular powers are less threatened at home, they can project more power and influence abroad. Second, insularity “sterilizes” power, which explains why insular powers are seen as attractive security providers and why we do not see more counterbalancing against them. On net, existing scholarship is correct to argue that insularity impedes conquest between great powers. Still, it has missed the ways that insularity abets expansion via spheres of influence abroad. One consequence is an under-appreciation for the role of geography writ large and insularity in particular in shaping contemporary great power behavior.

The Gods die in museums

Recently, Johannes Neurath’s book, titled Subdue the gods, doubt the images (2020) was published, which, among other things, warns that, in the archaeological museums of Mexico, including the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico City, there has been an “ontological mistreatment” of the sacred images of the pre-Hispanic era through their removal from their original locations and indistinct placement in large and cold rooms packed with monoliths, without any consideration for the fact that some were – and continue to be – images bestowed with power and influence by many communities today.

The Easter Ban in the Merovingian Kingdoms: Ideal and Reality

In mid-sixth-century Gaul, two episcopal councils issued canons, in 538 and 581/3, respectively, attempting to prohibit interaction between Jews and Christians between Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. The canons suggested that Jews, through their obstinate impiety, posed a threat to their Christian neighbors, particularly during that festal season associated with proselytization. While there is not corroborating evidence that the Merovingian-era Easter ban ever was put into effect, it should be understood not simply as an expression of Christian triumphalism, but rather as a sincere effort by the Gallo-Frankish bishops to protect their flocks from the “unbelieving Jews.” In an unintended consequence, the ban assigned far greater power and influence to Gallic Jews than they actually enjoyed.

Power and influence

We must use our voice to stand up for the surgical community.