Connectedness and Contagion
An argument that contagion is the most significant risk facing the financial system and that Dodd竅Frank has reduced the government's ability to respond effectively. The Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 was intended to reform financial policies in order to prevent another massive crisis such as the financial meltdown of 2008. Dodd-Frank is largely premised on the diagnosis that connectedness was the major problem in that crisis--that is, that financial institutions were overexposed to one another, resulting in a possible chain reaction of failures. In this book, Hal Scott argues that it is not connectedness but contagion that is the most significant element of systemic risk facing the financial system. Contagion is an indiscriminate run by short-term creditors of financial institutions that can render otherwise solvent institutions insolvent. It poses a serious risk because, as Scott explains, our financial system still depends on approximately $7.4 to $8.2 trillion of runnable and uninsured short-term liabilities, 60 percent of which are held by nonbanks. Scott argues that efforts by the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, and the Treasury to stop the contagion that exploded after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers lessened the economic damage. And yet Congress, spurred by the public's aversion to bailouts, has dramatically weakened the power of the government to respond to contagion, including limitations on the Fed's powers as a lender of last resort. Offering uniquely detailed forensic analyses of the Lehman Brothers and AIG failures, and suggesting alternative regulatory approaches, Scott makes the case that we need to restore and strengthen our weapons for fighting contagion.
Essays on Indian Diplomatic Dilemma in Nepal
The book enlightens the readers, especially from India with interest in India-Nepal relations on the one hand and draws the attention of those who formulate the Indian foreign policy towards Nepal and manage it diplomatically to orient it for the future, on the other. The Indian diplomacy in Nepal has always been challenging. The book presents a study of the events that took place basically from 1951 and onwards to the present day Indian diplomatic activities in Kathmandu. To make readers and researchers understand Nepal's present internal and external complexities, some important historical events of the last two hundred and fifty years have also been discussed briefly.
Nepal 2030 Vision for a Peaceful and Prosperous Nations
The main orientation of this book is intellectual envisioning of pathways future Nepal as peaceful and prosperous nation in 15-18 years from now, which was severely after from the devastating bloody war for a decade (1996-2006) and messy prolonged transition for another decade (2006-2015). The book offers selected thematic areas of development intervention as effective means of achieving prosperous and peaceful Nepal. Even after a decade of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, myriad of political and socio-economic problems and uncertainties compounded from poverty, social inequities, and insecurities exist in the country. What can be done to address such situation and how does one begin? One begins with discussing ideas, having a vision, and looking to the future. That is exactly what we have attempted to do in this volume. At this juncture in Nepal's history, when the policy makers of this country are discussing and debating how to build a 'New Nepal', we thought it would be very timely to bring into public debate some of the visions of the people who are outside the political sphere but are actively contributing from their respective positions to build a prosperous Nepal. While we collectively work towards building this fragile country into a strong and secure nation, we hope that the articles in this book will at least make the readers dream about some possibilities and aspire towards translating these dreams into realities. The themes covered in this volume are very important f or any nation's development and country's prosperous future.
Double Jeopardy
Making the case that we can use nuclear power to combat climate change even as we reduce the risks of nuclear terror. Humanity faces two existential threats: nuclear annihilation and catastrophic climate change. Both have human origins, and both are linked to the use of nuclear energy. Inherent in the use of atomic fission is the risk that the technology and materials can be diverted to terrorists or hostile nations and used to make nuclear weapons. The key question is whether we can use nuclear energy to reduce the threat of climate change without increasing the risk that nuclear weapons will be used. In Double Jeopardy, Daniel Poneman argues that the world needs an "all-of-the-above" energy policy, one that advances the goal of decarbonizing the environment through all available means--including nuclear power. Poneman makes a compelling case that we can enhance the ability of nuclear power to combat climate change even as we reduce the risks of nuclear terror. Doing so will require well-crafted laws and policies, implemented with an ethos of constant vigilance and embedded in a culture that weaves safety and security goals into the fabric of our nuclear programs. This will enable government and industry to work together to maximize energy and climate benefits while minimizing safety and security risks.
Political Migrants
The biggest story in American politics. . . . . . is the shift of Hispanic voters from reliable Democratic supporters to a much less predictable mix, with a growing segment making their home in the Republican Party.America's Hispanic population has tripled in only 30 years, from 23 million to 62 million. Two-thirds were born in this country, and they're voting! For years, it was assumed that the vast majority of Hispanics would be loyal Democrats. But the last two presidential elections, and a plethora of new polling data, show Hispanics to be swing voters. More than a third are voting Republican, and polls suggest that number may go way up soon.Political Migrants: Hispanic Voters on the Move uncovers the evidence that vast numbers of Hispanics are moving closer to the political right and shows exactly why that is happening, even as the Republican Party has increasingly been identified with positions on immigration that were supposed to drive them away.Further, the book explores how the Democratic Party has alienated so many of what was until recently a reliable bloc of voters.For this book, Rasmussen Reports conducted a large, detailed poll that provides new insight into the complex political opinions of American Hispanics, how they are leaning on the next two national elections; which Hispanics are trending Republican, and why.In 11 well-researched, approachable, crisply written chapters, author Jim Robb details the many ideas about how Hispanics would behave politically, and why so many of these prophecies proved wrong. He briefly reviews the unique history of Hispanics in America, and dispels the many myths that surround them. He shows exactly how and why so many are increasingly joining working-class voters in shifting towards the GOP.Finally, Robb outlines how Republicans can attract more Hispanics to their party, while also tipping off Democrats on how they could change their messaging to retain their advantage with the largest ethnic minority group in the country.
Pacific Voices and Climate Change
This book provides a comprehensive overview of issues related to climate change in the Pacific and will be an invaluable reference for those working in this important field. Climate change represents humanity's greatest threat. The vastness of the Pacific means that no two experiences are the same. This edited volume identifies research that highlights the local impact of climate change on the islands and coastlines of the Pacific. The authors use current research to document climate change via contextually informed studies that engages with local cultures, histories, knowledges, and communities. The transdisciplinary nature and the combination of both academic and non-academic writing makes this book an accessible and important contribution to the field.
Nhs Reform and Health Politics in the UK
This book provides an original analysis of the trajectory of health policy reform in the United Kingdom from the beginning of the 'Thatcher reforms' in the 1980s right up to the latest changes in England in 2022. Rooted in political science and health policy analysis, it tackles key arguments around the 'new integration' of the NHS since 2015, what the new and emerging NHS structure represents, the UK's poor response to the Covid-19 crisis, and the future threat to a comprehensive public NHS. It includes significant new material on what has happened since 2015, such as the politics of the Covid-19 pandemic, the effects of Brexit, and the conundrum of 'social care'. The book is a scholarly and polemical analysis from an expert who has studied the politics of health services for more than forty years. It will be a key resource for students, academics and policy makers.
Human Security in Nepal
Nepal is passing through a historic transition from a unitary kingdom to a plural, democratic, multi-religious, multi-lingual, multi-ethnic, multi- cultural, republican, federal, secular, sovereign and modern nation- state, embracing the aspirations of the Nepali people. During this historic transformation process, there are many political, social, economic, security and cultural issues that need to be restructured in line with the changed political, security and social context.
State Responses to Crimes of Genocide
At the time of drafting the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention), the drafters were hopeful that the document will be the response needed to ensure that the world would never again witness such atrocities as committed by the Nazi regime. While, arguably, there has been no such great loss of human lives as during WWII, genocidal incidents have and still take place. After WWII, we have witnessed the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, to name only a few. The responses to these atrocities have always been inadequate. Every time the world leaders would come together to renew their promise of 'Never Again'. However, the promise has never materialised. In 2014, Daesh unleashed genocide against religious minorities in Syria and Iraq. Before the world managed to shake off from the atrocities, in 2016, the Burmese military launched a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. This was followed by reports ofever-growing atrocities against Christian minorities in Nigeria. Without waiting too long, in 2018, China proceeded with its genocidal campaign against the Uyghur Muslims. In 2020, the Tigrayans became the victims of ethnic targeting. Five cases of mass atrocities that, in the space of just five years, all easily meet the legal definition of genocide. Again, the response that followed each case has been inadequate and unable to make a difference to the targeted communities. This legacy does not give much hope for the future. The question that this books hopes to address is what needs to change to ensure that we are better equipped to address genocide and prevent the crime in the future.
Political Migrants
The biggest story in American politics. . . . . . is the shift of Hispanic voters from reliable Democratic supporters to a much less predictable mix, with a growing segment making their home in the Republican Party.America's Hispanic population has tripled in only 30 years, from 23 million to 62 million. Two-thirds were born in this country, and they're voting! For years, it was assumed that the vast majority of Hispanics would be loyal Democrats. But the last two presidential elections, and a plethora of new polling data, show Hispanics to be swing voters. More than a third are voting Republican, and polls suggest that number may go way up soon.Political Migrants: Hispanic Voters on the Move uncovers the evidence that vast numbers of Hispanics are moving closer to the political right and shows exactly why that is happening, even as the Republican Party has increasingly been identified with positions on immigration that were supposed to drive them away.Further, the book explores how the Democratic Party has alienated so many of what was until recently a reliable bloc of voters.For this book, Rasmussen Reports conducted a large, detailed poll that provides new insight into the complex political opinions of American Hispanics, how they are leaning on the next two national elections; which Hispanics are trending Republican, and why.In 11 well-researched, approachable, crisply written chapters, author Jim Robb details the many ideas about how Hispanics would behave politically, and why so many of these prophecies proved wrong. He briefly reviews the unique history of Hispanics in America, and dispels the many myths that surround them. He shows exactly how and why so many are increasingly joining working-class voters in shifting towards the GOP.Finally, Robb outlines how Republicans can attract more Hispanics to their party, while also tipping off Democrats on how they could change their messaging to retain their advantage with the largest ethnic minority group in the country.
Regulatory Governance
This book describes how governments formulate policies, draft legislation, and manage stocks of legislation and how approaches to these tasks are converging. That convergence has developed over 30 years through the work by the OECD in its studies on regulatory reform and the work of other international organizations to improve regulatory management. The Institutions of the European Union and its member states, OECD member countries and a growing number of developing and transitional countries have developed a policy best described as 'Better Regulation.' That policy is characterized using regulatory impact assessment, improving public consultation, and reducing administrative burdens. The policy has brought improvements in legislative drafting and managing stocks of legislation. The book concludes with a description of the impact of information technology on governments and how the challenges posed by the Internet, globalization and pandemics are being met by new approaches to regulating to ensure its benefits exceed its costs.
Mgnrega
The book "MGNREGA: Success or Failure!" looks at the implementation of the MGNREGA in Rajasthan. The Indian Government passed the MGNREGA in September, 2005 and launched the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme on February 2, 2006. The Act guarantees right to work by providing 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members are willing to do unskilled manual work. The enactment of the Act was a major achievement for Indian democracy. However, the real essence of the Act lies in its successful implementation of the Act. The book is based on a research study carried out in Rajasthan to look at the implementation of the Act. The book intends to answer some of the questions on the pro-poor policy in rural areas. How effective is the Act in addressing the problem of poverty among rural households? Are the poor able to get their rights? What are the limitations in the Act and its implementation?
Stress Testing the USA
Stress tests highlight a system's weak spots. This second edition provides a stress testing of the United States by exploring in detail the background to the disasters of the War on Terror, Hurricane Katrina, the financial crisis, the Gulf oil spill and the COVID-19 epidemic. These major stresses--the country's longest war, its biggest natural disaster, its biggest financial collapse since the Great Depression, its biggest oil spill and its worst pandemic since the influenza pandemic of 1918--tell us much about structural flaws in the United States. This book explores each of these events in detail to locate the seed of the disasters, and highlights what we have learned and not learned from these stress tests.
You Say You Want a Revolution
In this urgent and compelling analysis, renowned public safety expert Dr. James F. Pastor examines the revolutionary climate gripping America today. Drawing from forty years of experience in law enforcement, security, and policy analysis, Dr. Pastor connects the dots between current social upheaval and its root causes, offering both clarity and solutions for a nation at a crossroads. Using the Beatles' iconic 1968 song as a framework, this groundbreaking work fearlessly addresses the intersecting challenges of race, religion, and politics that most analysts shy away from. Dr. Pastor brings his unique perspective as both a former tactical Chicago Police officer and a Ph.D. in public policy analysis to expose how extremist ideologies and progressive agendas are creating increasingly lawless conditions on American streets. Unlike any other current analysis, this book bridges the gap between policy and practice, showing exactly how high-level decisions play out in real-world scenarios. Dr. Pastor introduces an innovative solution-public safety policing-as a pathway to restore order and rationality to our struggling society. For readers sensing that something has gone fundamentally wrong with American society, this book provides both validation and hope. Dr. Pastor's analysis goes beyond surface-level commentary to examine how the deterioration of law and order threatens both our security and our freedom. More importantly, he offers practical solutions for citizens who want to preserve what made America great while adapting to modern challenges. About the AuthorDr. James F. Pastor brings an unparalleled blend of academic expertise and real-world experience to his analysis of America's current crisis. As founder and principal expert of Securelaw LLC, he has spent four decades on the front lines of public safety and security, from serving as a tactical Chicago Police officer to advising police unions, security firms, and religious organizations as legal counsel. His credentials combine street-level understanding with scholarly insight: a Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a J.D., and the prestigious Certified Protection Professional (CPP) designation. As a former associate professor of public safety administration and instructor at Northwestern University's Center for Public Safety, Dr. Pastor has shaped the thinking of law enforcement officials worldwide through his teaching at the International Law Enforcement Academy. Author of three previous books on terrorism, public safety, and police privatization, Dr. Pastor's analysis has been sought by organizations across the security spectrum. His unique ability to connect policy decisions to street-level consequences makes him one of America's most insightful voices on public safety and societal stability.
Now What?
Effective elected leaders can make a huge difference in their communities; conversely those elected who are ineffective can create significant and long term problems. The point of this book is to identify common problems that elected officials face during their service, and offer practical solutions. Since we rarely elect "perfect leaders," our democratic system is structured so ordinary citizens can become successful as long as they work at it. Interestingly, the people who find the greatest success as public officials are those who quickly pivot their attention from "Me" to "We," develop effective relationships with their colleagues, and listen more and talk less.
Thoughtful Little Animals
"Thoughtful Little Animals" is an innovative hybrid book. It is a colorful story that teaches children the importance of taking turns. The setting is on a small farm in southern Minnesota where Page the Pig teaches other animals the importance of taking turns through a dramatic storyline. The flip-side of the book is a short allegorical key for parents. The key unlocks the meaning of the story. It examines the idea of term limits for U.S. congressional members. In the tradition of stories like Aesop's fables, and the Wizard of Oz; allegories are a great way for kids to explore and hone their critical thinking abilities.
Muslims in the Western World
This book provides an overview of the identity and sense of belonging of Muslims in the Western world. By presenting case studies on European countries such as France, the Netherlands and the UK, as well as the USA and Canada, it offers a comparative perspective on how Muslims feel toward and are integrated in their country of residence. The respective contributions examine the sense of belonging and identity of Muslims and compare their levels of integration. Furthermore, they discuss the compatibility of their religious beliefs and values with the political and democratic order of their country of residence, and make concrete policy recommendations. The book is chiefly intended for scholars of political science and migration studies who are seeking a comparative perspective on the status quo of Muslims' integration in the Western world.
Glocal Governance
This open access book develops a conceptual framework for glocal governance as a multi-stakeholder local governance approach based on global human rights norms and democratic principles. It discusses glocal governance as part of an ongoing global transformation process that began in the 1990s, when democracy and individualizing responsibilities for governance became the dominant political system worldwide, and continues through today's dawn of a New Cold War between those countries which have democratized and those which haven't. This book will intrigue practitioners and scholars alike who are interested in the concepts of glocality and glocalism, local-global connectivity, and the implementation and dissemination of global norms and concepts such as human rights and democracy, at the local and community level as well as among civil society and private enterprises. The author argues that global norms have now become universal benchmarks which private, political, and civil actors use to assess day-to-day situations and market developments, and to make their decisions accordingly. This book will appeal to students, practitioners, and scholars of the social sciences and humanities who are interested in governance, human rights, public diplomacy and international relations; and in conceptualizing mechanisms for governing and enforcing political decisions locally, on the basis of global universal principles, international norms, and laws.
Imposing Sanctions on Violent Non-State Actors to Restore International Peace and Security
In the last decades, violent non-state actors (VNSAs) such as rebel and terrorist organizations have proved their capacity to break international law. The international community, particularly the United Nations (UN), has reacted to this development by redirecting its conflict resolution efforts to these non-state entities. This has turned targeted sanctions into one of the most vital and indispensable foreign policy tools available to the UN Security Council in combating terrorism and contributing to the peaceful resolution of (intra-state) conflicts. Despite the UN Security Council's growing tendency to sanction VNSAs, there has been little research analyzing the effects of UN targeted sanctions on these non-government actors. This book seeks to fill this gap and shifts the focus on non-state actors by ascertaining the general mechanisms through and conditions under which UN targeted sanctions imposed on VNSAs tend to be effective. The tripartite empirical analysis combining quantitative and qualitative research methods demonstrates that the state-centric understanding of how sanctions work is not simply applicable to the effective sanctioning of violent non-state actors such as rebel and terrorist movements.
Ideas and European Education Policy, 1973-2020
This book analyses the transformation of European Education Policy from 1973 to 2020. In doing so, it offers a unique insight into the changes of European education from a predominantly national concern to a supranational policy framework, driven by an economic discourse concerning productivity and employability. The book shows that the idea of the "Europe of Knowledge" did not originate in the Lisbon Strategy of 2000, but rather was the result of a gradual development that started in the mid-1980s. This begun with the establishment of a specific problem definition of education as a solution for Europe's lack of competitiveness, a definition that was incrementally constructed by the European Commission and the European business community. Highlighting significant and unexplored questions such as the role of European transnational business in education and the role of the "problem entrepreneur" in defining policy issues, this book will provide a comprehensive perspective on European Education Policy that will be of interest to all students of European Politics, Education Policy, and Public Policy.
How and Why to Regulate False Political Advertising in Australia
This open access book represents the first comprehensive, Australia-focused treatment of the problem of false election information disseminated for the purpose of gaining an electoral advantage. It explores cautious legal regulation as the most effective and decisive approach to the issue. In doing so, the book demonstrates that, although experiments with such remedies have met with mixed success elsewhere, they are nevertheless viable, especially in Australia where they have strong public support and are able to withstand constitutional challenge.
Human Dignity in Asia
Using interdisciplinary methods, this book is a pioneering exploration of Asian understandings of human dignity and human rights. It encompasses rigorous scrutiny of dignity jurisprudence in major Asian apex courts, detailed philosophical analysis of dignity in religious traditions, and contextualized socio-political analysis of religious dignity discourse in several Asian societies. This is an innovative systematic survey of how human dignity is understood in Asia, demonstrating how those understandings converge and diverge with other parts of the world. Synthesising legal, philosophical, and sociological expertise, this volume furthers the dialogue between Asia and the West, and advances debates on whether human rights are universal or particular to any one region. As many of the world's liberal democracies are challenged by polarization and populism, this comparative study of human dignity broadens our horizons and offers a potential alternative to a rigidified social imagination.
Causal Mechanisms in the Global Development of Social Policies
This open access edited volume introduces the concept of causal mechanisms to explore new ways of explaining the global dynamics of social policy, and shows that a mechanism-based approach provides several advantages over established approaches for studying social policy. The introductory chapter outlines the mechanism-based approach, which stands out by modularisation and a clear focus on actors. The mechanism-based approach then guides the twelve chapters on social policy developments in different Asian, African, European and Latin American countries. Based on these findings, the concluding chapter provides a structured compilation of causal mechanisms and outlines how a mechanism-based approach can further strengthen research on the global development of social policies, especially in a comparative perspective. The edited volume is highly relevant for social policy scholars from a variety of disciplines, as well as for scholars interested in strengthening explanation in the social sciences.
Causal Mechanisms in the Global Development of Social Policies
This open access edited volume introduces the concept of causal mechanisms to explore new ways of explaining the global dynamics of social policy, and shows that a mechanism-based approach provides several advantages over established approaches for studying social policy. The introductory chapter outlines the mechanism-based approach, which stands out by modularisation and a clear focus on actors. The mechanism-based approach then guides the twelve chapters on social policy developments in different Asian, African, European and Latin American countries. Based on these findings, the concluding chapter provides a structured compilation of causal mechanisms and outlines how a mechanism-based approach can further strengthen research on the global development of social policies, especially in a comparative perspective. The edited volume is highly relevant for social policy scholars from a variety of disciplines, as well as for scholars interested in strengthening explanation in the social sciences.
The Governance Cycle in Parliamentary Democracies
Parliamentary democracy involves a never-ending cycle of elections, government formations, and the need for governments to survive in potentially hostile environments. These conditions require members of any government to make decisions on a large number of issues, some of which sharply divide them. Officials resolve these divisions by 'logrolling'- conceding on issues they care less about, in exchange for reciprocal concessions on issues to which they attach more importance. Though realistically modeling this 'governance cycle' is beyond the scope of traditional formal analysis, this book attacks the problem computationally in two ways. Firstly, it models the behavior of "functionally rational" senior politicians who use informal decision heuristics to navigate their complex high stakes setting. Secondly, by applying computational methods to traditional game theory, it uses artificial intelligence to model how hyper-rational politicians might find strategies that are close to optimal.
China's Public Finance
A comprehensive, up-to-date, insightful, and innovative masterpiece on the Chinese public finance has finally emerged to fill the gap in the field. Considering China's public finance in its entirety, from tax systems, government spending, infrastructure financing, fiscal policies, local government debt, and central-local fiscal relationships to urban and rural social security and healthcare, it analyses China's public finance reforms and examines the reasons and the consequences of these reforms. It explores the challenges to China's public finance, examines its problems, and suggests potential solutions. While covering a broad range of themes, this book remains judicious with the evidence, providing its readers with innovative yet careful conclusions. Using enormous amount of the latest data and illustrative diagrams, the author explains China's public finance with expertise and clarity. This is an indispensable resource for students and scholars from a range of disciplines with an interest in the Chinese economy.
Dynamics of Violent Extremism in South Asia
This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the multifaceted dimensions of violent extremist groups in South Asia, attending especially to the relationships between the local and regional forces influencing their emergence and activities. In addition, research in the book shows how political, security-sensitive events and processes are framed, and the factors responsible for such framing. Similarly, it discusses prevalent discourses on anti-violent extremism policy and the on-the-ground militarized preventive/reactive interventions they guide, which are inspired by ideologies that increasingly reflect controversial understandings of the experiences of people within conditions of state fragility. In doing so, the book balances attention to local conditions that frame the rise and fall, or persistency, of incidences of violent extremism. The systems-based ecological framing of issues in the book is influenced by a concern for the broader questions of securitization, global governance, poverty, (under)development, and armed conflicts in South Asia.
State of the Parties 2022
The State of the Parties 2022 brings together leading scholars of parties, elections, and interest groups to provide an indispensable overview of American political parties today. The 2020 presidential election was extraordinary. What role did political parties play in these events? How did the party organizations fare? What are the implications for the future? Scholars and practitioners from throughout the United States explore the current state of American party organizations, constituencies and resources at the national, state and local level.
Foreign Fighters and International Peace
This book sheds light on the emergence, roots and gradual change of jihadism and exposes its detrimental impact on human lives. The author collected insightful interviews with ISIS fighters and also with women who joined ISIS. The book analyzes root causes and motivations of people based on the firsthand information and proposes the non-enigma cycles radicalization theory, and argues that two main cycles- grievances and resentment, and the radical ideology are the most significant. The book addresses the current situation with 70,000 women and children, who were family members of ISIS fighters, trapped in the desert following the defeat of the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq. The work also analyzes incentives of those who joined ISIS, nature of the jihadist ideology, emergence of a family jihad, roles of women and children within a so-called caliphate, and state policies to deal with captured ISIS fighters and their family members. The author gives detailed information on post-ISIS lives of women and children, who were family members of ISIS fighters who currently held in the desert in Northeast Syria. Detailed and vivid depiction of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in these camps presents the readers a clear understanding of the extent, intensity, and importance of the issue at hand and is what makes this book such a compelling and eye-catching one. The book also gives compelling accounts of state policies toward ISIS fighters that being discussed by international community such as establishing ad hoc tribunal, stripping citizenship, transferring to Iraqi prisons etc. It also gives detailed insights into rehabilitation and reintegration programs in several countries that repatriated their citizens from Syria and Iraq. The author`s research is unique due to her direct access to repatriated foreign fighters in several countries, which brought back their citizens from Iraq and Syria. "We will depart to Jihad if the God calls us," such are the imprints that are left on the minds of young children born and raised in ISIS-controlled territories. The book contains many human stories which makes the book interesting not only to scholars and policy makers but to general audience too.
Sustainable Qatar
This volume provides a topical overview of the key sustainability issues in Qatar, focusing on environmental sustainability from a socio-political perspective. The transition to a sustainable Qatar weaves together pillars of social-political, human, and environmental development, and so this book tackles each aspect accordingly. In the environmental section, the contributors address climate change, food security, water reuse and desalination, energy, air quality and biodiversity. The socio-political section examines state strategy and regulation, the place of environmental law and geopolitics, and sustainability innovators and catalysts. The human section considers demographic trends and models, economics - including the circular economy and green finance - transport, the built environment, and waste management. In doing so, the volume demarcates the ways in which the country encounters and grapples with significant challenges, and delves into the range of options for future pathways to sustainability in Qatar. Relevant to policymakers and scholars in energy and environment, urban, and developmental studies, as well as the arenas of politics, climate change, and policy, this book is a landmark collection on environmental policy in the Gulf, and beyond.
Enforcing Ecocide
Policing and ecological crises - and all the inequalities, discrimination, and violence they entail - are pressing contemporary problems. Ecological degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change threaten local communities and ecosystems, and, cumulatively, the planet as a whole. Police brutality, wars, paramilitarism, private security operations, and securitization more widely impact people - especially people of colour - and habitats. This edited collection explores their relationship, and investigates the numerous ways in which police, security, and military forces intersect with, reinforce, and facilitate ecological and climate catastrophe. Employing a case study-based approach, the book examines the relationships and entanglements between policing and ecosystems, revealing the intimate connection between political violence and ecological degradation.
Contemporary Housing Struggles
This OA book provides a comparative study of housing contention in Budapest and Bucharest in 2008-2021. The financialization of housing and the resulting inequalities, expulsions and social contention are a central characteristic of today's capitalist crisis. These two East European cities that fall outside the usual focus of urban movements research provide an illuminating case of similar structural conditions governed by different political constellations at the national and local scales. Instead of searching for unilinear narratives connecting structural tensions to politicized claims, the book offers an in-depth contextual analysis of multiple forms of contention, their (often unintentional) interactions, and their broader political-structural background, including tensions surrounded by political silence. The authors analyze the two cases and their comparative lessons through what they propose as a "structural field of contention" approach to the multiple, interconnected ways in which structural tensions become (or not) politicized in today's social movements. The book will appeal to everyone interested in today's urban tensions and social movements.
Executive-Legislative Relations in Parliamentary Systems
Analysing the conditions under which governments are more likely to present an executive law or a government bill, this book addresses a central aspect of the decision-making process of public policies. Drafting legislation is an important action to achieve specific policy goals, and the path chosen for this process is part of governmental strategy. This book presents a new theoretical explanation of how executives wield legislative power, based in a formal model. The model is tested using new data from Portugal. It shows that in political systems where one of the political actors has veto powers which can easily be overridden, the type of parliamentary majority is the main consideration for the government's choice of legislative instrument. More specifically, when a government does not have the majority in parliament it is more likely to propose an executive law, and contrary, when a government has a majority in parliament, it is more likely to propose a government bill.
State of the Parties 2022
The State of the Parties 2022 brings together leading scholars of parties, elections, and interest groups to provide an indispensable overview of American political parties today. The 2020 presidential election was extraordinary. What role did political parties play in these events? How did the party organizations fare? What are the implications for the future? Scholars and practitioners from throughout the United States explore the current state of American party organizations, constituencies and resources at the national, state and local level.
Sustainable Qatar
This volume provides a topical overview of the key sustainability issues in Qatar, focusing on environmental sustainability from a socio-political perspective. The transition to a sustainable Qatar weaves together pillars of social-political, human, and environmental development, and so this book tackles each aspect accordingly. In the environmental section, the contributors address climate change, food security, water reuse and desalination, energy, air quality and biodiversity. The socio-political section examines state strategy and regulation, the place of environmental law and geopolitics, and sustainability innovators and catalysts. The human section considers demographic trends and models, economics - including the circular economy and green finance - transport, the built environment, and waste management. In doing so, the volume demarcates the ways in which the country encounters and grapples with significant challenges, and delves into the range of options for future pathways to sustainability in Qatar. Relevant to policymakers and scholars in energy and environment, urban, and developmental studies, as well as the arenas of politics, climate change, and policy, this book is a landmark collection on environmental policy in the Gulf, and beyond.
Exploring Children's Suffrage
This edited volume offers a critical, thorough, and interdisciplinary examination of arguments for eliminating the minimum democratic voting age. As children and youth increasingly assert their political voices on issues such as climate change, gun legislation, Black Lives Matter, and education reform, calls for youth enfranchisement merit further academic conversation. Leading scholars in childhood studies, political science, philosophy, history, law, medicine, and economics come together in this collection to explore the diverse assumptions behind excluding children from voting rights and why these are open to question. While arriving at different and sometimes competing conclusions, each chapter deconstructs the idea of voting as necessarily tied to age while reconstructing a more democratic imagination able to enfranchise the third of humanity made up by children and youth. Thus, this book defines and establishes a new field of academic study and public debate around children'ssuffrage. Chapter "The Reform that never happened: a history of children's suffrage restrictions" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Climate Change Adaptation in River Management
This book examines the approaches to climate change adaptation in water governance taken by South Korea and Germany. By comparing their political decision-making processes, this book explores the factors behind their differences. Adaptation to the changing climate is critical to human society and water is the principal medium through which climate change will affect us. Due to high levels of industrialization and population density, flood control is a high priority in both countries' adaptation plans. While South Korea has maintained its engineering-oriented flood control policy for river management, Germany has turned its direction from its long-standing technical approach to more nature-based solutions. The evidence of this study indicates that policy change and stability is the result of discourse and institutional interaction, and thus emphasizes the validity of discursive institutionalism. This book will clearly explain why certain policies are adopted for water management and will be an invaluable contribution to the expanding literature on the socio-political aspects of climate change adaptation.
Disaster Management Policies and Practices
In this book David E. McNabb and Carl R. Swenson blend their different experiences to outline the nature of the crises government leaders now face.
Communism and Culture
This book is a comprehensive introduction to the relationship between communism (understood as an ideological, political, and social project) and culture, broadly defined as the field of aesthetic production. Communism was a global phenomenon, and the global civil war of the 20th century was, in more than one respect, a cultural war, which involved some of the most influential figures of the last century. The book highlights and explains the impact of political mythologies in the effiorts to transcend the "bourgeois" legacies and engage in a social, cultural, and anthropological revolution. The authors examine the interplay between utopian goals and cultural practices in fields such as literature, visual arts, film, and humanities in general.
The Greatest Speeches of Donald J. Trump
"We will make America strong again. We will make America safe again. And we will make America great again. Greater than ever before!" -- President Donald J. TrumpThe ultimate collection of President Donald J. Trump's most important speeches and words to the Nation.The Greatest Speeches of President Donald J. Trump is edited by New York Times bestselling author and President Reagan biographer Craig Shirley who also wrote the introduction. This beautiful book will include historical photographs throughout and is the perfect gift for anyone who wants to know the history of how President Trump made America great again. The collection includes speeches from many pivotal and powerful moments in President Trump's time in office and his presidential campaigns: Trump's campaign announcement at Trump Tower His surprise Presidential Victory SpeechHis speech to the People of Poland in WarsawThe Salute to America at Mount Rushmore His Farewell Address to the People of the United States and the WorldThe President's own strong and inspiring words from his final speech to the Nation from Washington D.C. while in office as the 45th President of the United States of America: "We must never forget that while Americans will always have our disagreements, we are a nation of incredible, decent, faithful, and peace-loving citizens who all want our country to thrive and flourish and be very, very successful and good. We are a truly magnificent nation...As long as the American people hold in their hearts deep and devoted love of country, then there is nothing that this nation cannot achieve. Our communities will flourish. Our people will be prosperous. Our traditions will be cherished. Our faith will be strong. And our future will be brighter than ever before.I go from this majestic place with a loyal and joyful heart, an optimistic spirit, and a supreme confidence that for our country and for our children, the best is yet to come.Thank you, and farewell. God bless you. God bless the United States of America."
Contemporary Housing Struggles
This OA book provides a comparative study of housing contention in Budapest and Bucharest in 2008-2021. The financialization of housing and the resulting inequalities, expulsions and social contention are a central characteristic of today's capitalist crisis. These two East European cities that fall outside the usual focus of urban movements research provide an illuminating case of similar structural conditions governed by different political constellations at the national and local scales. Instead of searching for unilinear narratives connecting structural tensions to politicized claims, the book offers an in-depth contextual analysis of multiple forms of contention, their (often unintentional) interactions, and their broader political-structural background, including tensions surrounded by political silence. The authors analyze the two cases and their comparative lessons through what they propose as a "structural field of contention" approach to the multiple, interconnected ways in which structural tensions become (or not) politicized in today's social movements. The book will appeal to everyone interested in today's urban tensions and social movements.
The Welfare State System and Common Security
This book argues that the welfare state system should be adopted globally, not only for the purpose of achieving equality and justice within nations, but also for security between states. Using Finland, Sweden and Canada as case studies, it theorises that the welfare state system and the common security system, which are mutually reinforcing peace structures, should be utilised worldwide as the best method of attaining peace and prosperity. It demonstrates the feasibility of the welfare state in the past, whilst also showing how these historical experiences can be translated into socio-political action to address contemporary global challenges. Operating in the fields of political theory, international relations, and social philosophy, it will appeal to scholars and students of public policy, the welfare state, and sociology, as well as state policymakers.
Sadistic Pleasures
In Sadistic Pleasures, an independent journalist documents the true stories of torture, pain, and merciless psychological abuse endured by 14 Armenian soldiers and civilians who became prisoners of war in Azerbaijan during the Forty-Four Day War in 2020 for control of the autonomous Republic of Artsakh. This book contains their first-hand memoirs of what goes on behind enemy lines, hidden from the scrutiny of the United Nations and international human rights organizations.The testimonies of these brave POWs reveal the mindsets of the perpetrators of heinous war crimes during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War-ordinary people who are motivated by generations of political indoctrination of hatred for Armenians. They expose an international epidemic of racism and bigotry behind this humanitarian crisis in the Turkic world that must be overcome through free journalism and public reporting before peace can ever return to this disputed territory. Additionally, these historic interviews are framed by a historical overview of how the dispute over Artsakh arose. Included here is the region's ancient past, Stalin's reassignment of the region to Azerbaijan during the Soviet Union, the near-unanimous declaration of independence in 1991, the First Nagorno-Karabakh War that followed, and the 26 years of frozen conflict with Armenia since.
The Fault Lines of Inequality
This book examines how decisions made by the Conservative government during the COVID19 pandemic have increased economic inequality in the UK. Decades of austerity, asset-based welfare and financialization had already exacerbated social divisions in the UK prior to the pandemic. The political blueprint behind these measures combined Privatized Keynesianism and the Asset Economy. To explain, economists have highlighted that inequality derives from the fact that income from wealth increases at a faster rate than income from wages. The ensuing political assumption is that - in the face of pressures on public finances - promoting asset ownership is the best alternative to government-funded welfare schemes. What this meant, as the pandemic unfolded, was that when tough decisions about resource allocation needed to be made, the UK Treasury and the Bank of England found almost unlimited funds to rescue and protect asset-holders and middle-income homeowners, whilst reverting to a narrative of "misfortune" for the asset-less poor. This book assesses the political decisions taken by UK policymakers during 2020-21 and their consequences. In doing so, it challenges policymakers and the informed public to re-consider the morality of inequality, and to make alternative decisions to promote a more ecologically sustainable, caring, equal and prosperous society.
The Politics of the Rule of Law in the Eu Polity
This book analyses the challenges facing the European Union through the frame of the rule of law. It shows how over the last decades the increased dissensus and contestation of the rule of law has given rise to heightened tensions between national and EU institutions, leading to the establishment of new soft and hard policy tools to safeguard it at the supranational level. The book proposes a comprehensive and multifaceted analysis of the current state of debates by exploring how EU institutional actors seek to uphold the Union's values. It shows that European integration in core state powers is the outcome of the clash between liberal and anti-liberal ideas, between dissensus and contestation over how collective problems should be solved, in a community of voices featuring assent and dissent, all of which give democracy its substance. Beyond the analysis of the emerging EU's rule of law policy, the book will help readersto better understand the EU's fragilities and resilience and the potential challenges for the future of EU integration.
