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The Theory of Crisis and the Great Recession in Spain
by Juan Pablo Mateo ToméThis book has a dual purpose. Firstly, it analyses the concept of economic crises within economic theory, showing the various theoretical foundations and controversies amongst different schools of economic thought. Secondly, it presents an empirical analysis of the Great Recession in Spain, addressing both the growth period from 1995 to 2007-08 and the subsequent depression until 2013-14.Using a political economy approach, the aim of this book is not to explain the root causes of the 2007-08 crisis but to demonstrate the way in which the tendency towards a crisis manifests itself in a given economy in a historical context. In other words, this book focuses upon the reasons why an issue (such as the crisis of profitability) adopts a certain form, or how it is shaped ─ for example, the process of capital accumulation being led by a real estate bubble. Consequently, the two divisions in this book are linked by the role of the Spanish economy in European capitalism.This theoretical and empirical heterodox approach will be of interest to students and scholars in political economy, and those with an interest in the Eurozone.
A History of Modern Urban Operations
by Gregory Fremont-BarnesThis book investigates the complexities of modern urban operations—a particularly difficult and costly method of fighting, and one that is on the rise. Contributors examine the lessons that emerge from a range of historical case studies, from nineteenth-century precedents to the Battle of Shanghai; Stalingrad, German town clearance, Mandalay, and Berlin during World War II; and from the Battle of Algiers to the Battle for Fallujah in 2004. Each case study illuminates the features that differentiate urban operations from fighting in open areas, and the factors that contribute to success and failure. The volume concludes with reflections on the key challenges of urban warfare in the twenty-first century and beyond.
A Universal Declaration of Human Well-being (Wellbeing in Politics and Policy)
by Annie Austin"This book makes a vital contribution to the current literature on human well-being. Through a condensed but incisive analysis of a wide range of sources, from ancient philosophy to the political constitutions of modern nation states, Annie Austin builds a strong case for a universal core of human well-being. Her identification of the vital importance of an "infrastructure of sociality" should be noted by academicians, politicians and policy-makers who are seeking to use well-being as a means of rethinking how we are to meet the challenges of the 21st century."—Allister McGregor, University of Sheffield, UKThis book examines the differing policy implications of the different conceptions of wellbeing across the world. There is an ongoing debate, in both philosophical and policy circles, about the legitimacy of universal frameworks of wellbeing. Who should decide what it means to live a good life? Is it possible to arrive at a shared definition, or is there simply too much individual and cultural diversity in conceptions of the good life? By devising an ‘overlapping consensus’ on wellbeing, the book represents a starting point for political negotiation and public deliberation about the kinds of societies we (as collectivities) wish to create, and the kinds of lives we (as individuals embedded in those societies) want to live. The book provides philosophically-informed public policy insight, making it a valuable contribution to interdisciplinary wellbeing scholarship.
Globalization, Transformation, and Cultures in Early Childhood Education and Care: Reconceptualization and Comparison (Critical Cultural Studies of Childhood)
by Mathias Urban Stefan Faas Dagmar Kasüschke Elena Nitecki Helge WasmuthThis edited volume provides a critical discussion of globalization and transformation, considering the cultural contexts of early childhood education systems as discourses as well as concrete phenomena and ‘lived experience.’ The book focuses on theoretical explorations and critical discourses at the level of education policy (macro), the level of institutions (meso), and the level of social interactions (micro). The chapters offer a wide range of interpretative, contextualized perspectives on early childhood education as a cultural construct.
Violence and Meaning
by Lode Lauwaert Laura Katherine Smith Christian SternadThis edited collection explores the problem of violence from the vantage point of meaning. Taking up the ambiguity of the word ‘meaning’, the chapters analyse the manner in which violence affects and in some cases constitutes the meaningful structure of our lifeworld, on individual, social, religious and conceptual levels. The relationship between violence and meaning is multifaceted, and is thus investigated from a variety of different perspectives within the continental tradition of philosophy, including phenomenology, post-structuralism, critical theory and psychoanalysis. Divided into four parts, the volume explores diverging meanings of the concept of violence, as well as transcendent or religious violence- a form of violence that takes place between humanity and the divine world. Going on to investigate instances of immanent and secular violence, which occur at the level of the group, community or society, the book concludes with an exploration of violence and meaning on the individual level: violence at the level of the self, or between particular persons. With its focus on the manifold of relations between violence and meaning, as well as its four part focus on conceptual, transcendent, immanent and individual violence, the book is both multi-directional and multi-layered.
European E-Democracy in Practice (Studies in Digital Politics and Governance)
by Leonhard Hennen Ira Van Keulen Iris Korthagen Georg Aichholzer Ralf Lindner Rasmus Øjvind NielsenThis open access book explores how digital tools and social media technologies can contribute to better participation and involvement of EU citizens in European politics. By analyzing selected representative e-participation projects at the local, national and European governmental levels, it identifies the preconditions, best practices and shortcomings of e-participation practices in connection with EU decision-making procedures and institutions. The book features case studies on parliamentary monitoring, e-voting practices, and e-publics, and offers recommendations for improving the integration of e-democracy in European politics and governance. Accordingly, it will appeal to scholars as well as practitioners interested in identifying suitable e-participation tools for European institutions and thus helps to reduce the EU’s current democratic deficit. This book is a continuation of the book “Electronic Democracy in Europe” published by Springer.
Critical Human Rights Education: Advancing Social-Justice-Oriented Educational Praxes (Contemporary Philosophies and Theories in Education #13)
by Michalinos Zembylas André KeetThis book engages with human rights and human rights education (HRE) in ways that offer opportunities for criticality and renewal. It takes up various ideas, from critical and decolonial theories to philosophers and intellectuals, to theorize the renewal of HRE as Critical Human Rights Education.The point of departure is that the acceptable “truths” of human rights are seldom critically examined, and productive interpretations for understanding and acting in a world that is soaked in the violations these rights try to address, cannot emerge.The book cultivates a critical view of human rights in education and beyond, and revisits receivable categories of human rights to advance social-justice-oriented educational praxes. It focuses on the ways that issues of human rights, philosophy, and education come together, and how a critical project of their entanglements creates openings for rethinking human rights education (HRE) both theoretically and in praxis.Given the persistence of issues of human rights worldwide, this book will be useful to researchers and educators across disciplines and in numerous parts of the world.
Louisiana's Response to Extreme Weather: A Coastal State's Adaptation Challenges and Successes (Extreme Weather and Society)
by Shirley LaskaThis book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.This book takes an in-depth look at Louisiana as a state which is ahead of the curve in terms of extreme weather events, both in frequency and magnitude, and in its responses to these challenges including recovery and enhancement of resiliency.Louisiana faced a major tropical catastrophe in the 21st century, and experiences the fastest rising sea level. Weather specialists, including those concentrating on sea level rise acknowledge that what the state of Louisiana experiences is likely to happen to many more, and not necessarily restricted to coastal states. This book asks and attempts to answer what Louisiana public officials, scientists/engineers, and those from outside of the state who have been called in to help, have done to achieve resilient recovery. How well have these efforts fared to achieve their goals? What might these efforts offer as lessons for those states that will be likely to experience enhanced extreme weather? Can the challenges of inequality be truly addressed in recovery and resilience? How can the study of the Louisiana response as a case be blended with findings from later disasters such as New York/New Jersey (Hurricane Sandy) and more recent ones to improve understanding as well as best adaptation applications – federal, state and local?
Shaping Parliamentary Democracy: Collected Memories from the European Parliament (Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics)
by Alfredo De Feo Michael ShackletonThis book analyses nearly 100 original interviews with Members of the European Parliament from across the European Union who were active between 1979 and 2019. These interviews, preserved in the Historical Archives of the European Union at the European University Institute, capture the memories of the MEPs about their own roles and their assessment of what the parliament achieved in developing a European parliamentary democracy in the forty years following the first direct elections. The book offers a taste of the interviews in ten chapters, each of which corresponds to a specific theme presented in the archive: choosing the parliament, working inside the parliament machine, living inside the political groups, playing a part in major moments, influencing and shaping policy, scrutinizing and holding to account, making a mark beyond the EU, communicating the work of the parliament, keeping in touch with national societies, and looking to the future.
Institutions and Organizations of Refugee Integration: Bosnian-Herzegovinian and Syrian Refugees in Sweden (Global Diversities)
by Gregg Bucken-Knapp Vedran Omanović Andrea SpeharThis book examines the integration experiences of refugees to Sweden from Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995), and more recently from Syria (2014-2018) - two of the largest-scale refugee movements in Europe for the last thirty years. It focuses on refugees’ interactions with key institutions of integration including language training, civic orientation, validation of previous educational experience, organizations and multiple labour market initiatives targeting refugees. Drawing on interviews with the refugees themselves, it offers a nuanced analysis of how the institutions of integration operate on a daily basis, and the effects they have on the lives of those who take part in them. The authors’ comparative approach highlights the particularities of each refugee movement while also revealing developments and persistent issues within institutions of integration in the intervening years between the Bosnian-Herzegovinian and Syrian conflicts. Its conclusion, which situates the Swedish case within the broader European context, demonstrates the wider significance of this timely study. It will provide a valuable resource for policymakers in addition to students and scholars of migration studies, social policy, and public policy and business administration.
Strategic Communication in EU-Russia Relations: Tensions, Challenges and Opportunities
by Evgeny Pashentsev“This book is a timely reminder of the ties that join Russia and the European Union and the opportunities that still exist to improve a troubled relationship. The book does not shy away from the difficulties that the relationship currently faces, but seeks to find opportunities in these obstacles that could lead to improvements. With the voice of Russian scholars fully audible in this excellent collection of essays, this book provides an excellent opportunities for English-speaking audiences to learn more about this complex relationship.”Victor Bulmer-Thomas, Chatham House, UK“The thinking of Evgeny Pashentsev in this volume presents an enlightening analysis and synthesis of the integration of the political, social, cultural and technological advances around the globe with respect to their impact on EU-Russia relations. His chapters are a must read for both scholars and strategic consultants who seek to understand the future of the paradigm shift taking place in these countries.”Bruce I. Newman, DePaul University, USA, and Founding Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Political MarketingIn this book the international team of EU, Russian and US researchers focus on the dangerous challenges of the current unstable international equilibrium and opportunities of the breakthrough for a better future. Eight chapters engage with a variety of issues, ranging from general tendencies and controversies in EU–Russia strategic communication and its political and economic aspects to reputation management of Russian companies in the EU and the psychological aspect of US sanctions in EU-Russia relations. Analyzing the security dimension, the authors focus on the geopolitical threats, opportunities and risks of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, cyborgization and human genetics.
Cricket, Kirikiti and Imperialism in Samoa, 1879–1939 (Palgrave Studies in Sport and Politics)
by Benjamin SacksThis book considers how Samoans embraced and reshaped the English game of cricket, recasting it as a distinctively Samoan pastime, kirikiti. Starting with cricket’s introduction to the islands in 1879, it uses both cricket and kirikiti to trace six decades of contest between and within the categories of ‘colonisers’ and ‘colonised.’ How and why did Samoans adapt and appropriate the imperial game? How did officials, missionaries, colonists, soldiers and those with mixed foreign and Samoan heritage understand and respond to the real and symbolic challenges kirikiti presented? And how did Samoans use both games to navigate foreign colonialism(s)? By investigating these questions, Benjamin Sacks suggests alternative frameworks for conceptualising sporting transfer and adoption, and advances understandings of how power, politics and identity were manifested through sport, in Samoa and across the globe.
Practical Lessons from US Foreign Policy: The Itinerant Years
by James E. Goodby Kenneth WeisbrodeIn foreign policy, the Trump administration has appeared to depart from long-standing norms of international behavior that have underwritten American primacy for decades in a more interdependent and prosperous world. In this book, a diplomat and a historian revisit that perception by examining and reproducing several of their own essays during the past twenty years. The essays reveal that Trump's style exaggerates tendencies towards unilateralism already present in the actions, if not the policies, of previous presidents, and in their neglect of three imperatives: collective security, regional integration, and diplomatic imagination. It is not too late, however, to remedy the problem by learning the lessons of the recent past.
Social Casework Methodology: A Skills Handbook for the Caribbean Human Services Worker (SpringerBriefs in Social Work)
by Emmanuel Janagan Johnson Camille L. HugginsThis brief is a practical reference contextualizing social casework methodology in a specifically Caribbean cultural and historical context. It emerged from the experiences of human services workers and educators working in the Caribbean. The concepts of social welfare policy and programs are relatively new to the Caribbean as historically Christian-based organizations and local communities took the responsibility of caring for those in need. As social problems grew more complicated and threatened the security of the nation (e.g., gang violence), it became clear that governments of these small island states needed to provide a systematic approach in dealing with these social problems to help their citizens have a better quality of life. Social Casework Methodology: A Skills Handbook for the Caribbean Human Services Worker outlines a systematic approach that human services workers will find useful while working with clients in the Caribbean. It also is an easy-to-use text that defines social casework methodology, components of the methods, case histories, and exercises for social work students interested in working in the human services sector in the Caribbean.
Spain and the Wider World since 2000: Foreign Policy and International Diplomacy during the Zapatero Era (Security, Conflict and Cooperation in the Contemporary World)
by Morten HeibergThis book offers the first comprehensive study of Spanish foreign policy since 2000. Based on privileged access to some of Spain’s most important foreign policy actors – including Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos – the book offers an insider account of how Spanish foreign policy was shaped within the context of international diplomacy. It offers crucial new insights into the foreign policy of the PSOE governments (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, 2004 to 2011). The volume considers the changes on the international stage since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, showing how regional conflicts and tensions affected the policy agendas of the West. To increase security and prosperity at home, the 2004 Spanish socialist government reasoned that they could no longer rely exclusively on unilateral measures, old Cold War alliances or a ‘Spain-first’ approach. Against the backdrop of this changing world, the book explores the concept of ‘effective multilateralism’ put forward by the PSOE, in which Spain abandoned its hitherto unconditional support for the US and instead engaged in a series of multilateral collaborations with regions around the world. Above all, this study seeks to provide a new international history of contemporary Spain, demonstrating how domestic changes intersected with global transformations, and put forward the argument that diplomacy works.
Levees and Dams: Advances in Geophysical Monitoring and Characterization
by Juan Lorenzo William DollThis book aims to inform policy-makers, engineers and earth scientists about the current and emerging role of geophysics in addressing environmental processes, assessments, and policy directions related to new and existing dams and levees. Until now geophysics has concentrated on characterization and remediation of dams and levees, but now the field is changing our understanding on the influence of natural processes (e.g., floods, dissolution) and human activities in the design, and management of these structures.This monograph includes advances in the following fields of Dams and Levees studies: · New insights from small and mid-sized laboratory experiments· Integrated methods electromagnetic, seismic, potential methods· Inverse modeling approaches· Statistical considerations· Monitoring of processes attending aging structures · Hazard monitoring· Risk Analysis
The Politics of Moderation in Modern European History (Palgrave Studies in Political History)
by Ido De Haan Matthijs LokThis book charts the varieties of political moderation in modern European history from the French Revolution to the present day. It explores the attempts to find a middle way between ideological extremes, from the nineteenth-century Juste Milieu and balance of power, via the Third Ways between capitalism and socialism, to the current calls for moderation beyond populism and religious radicalism. The essays in this volume are inspired by the widely-recognized need for a more nuanced political discourse. The contributors demonstrate how the history of modern politics offers a range of experiences and examples of the search for a middle way that can help us to navigate the tensions of the current political climate. At the same time, the volume offers a diagnosis of the problems and pitfalls of Third Ways, of finding the middle between extremes, and of the weaknesses of the moderate point of view.
Political Stability, Democracy and Agenda Dynamics in Turkey (Comparative Studies of Political Agendas)
by Alper T. Bulut T. Murat YildirimThis book examines the determinants and consequences of policy responsiveness and change, and how policy issues get onto the media and legislative agenda in a transitional democracy. It provides a detailed and attention based theory of Turkish Politics, and develops and introduces comprehensive content-analytics datasets of legislative activities and media coverage that span over several decades.
Decolonizing Educational Assessment: Ontario Elementary Students and the EQAO
by Ardavan EizadiradThis book examines the history of standardized testing in Ontario leading to the current context and its impact on racialized identities, particularly on Grade 3 students, parents, and educators. Using a theoretical argument supplemented with statistical trends, the author illuminates how EQAO tests are culturally and racially biased and promote a Eurocentric curriculum and way of life privileging white students and those from higher socio-economic status. This book spurs readers to further question the use of EQAO standardized testing and challenges us to consider alternative models which serve the needs of all students.
Fiscal Sociology at the Centenary: UK Perspectives on Budgeting, Taxation and Austerity (Palgrave Socio-Legal Studies)
by Ann MumfordThis book discusses the socio-legal tax state and its relationship to development, inequality and the transnational. 'Fiscal Sociology' commenced in 1918 when Joseph A. Schumpeter examined the links between capitalism and taxation, arguing that fiscal pressures on governments led directly to the development of tax collection, and the burgeoning growth of capitalist economies. The identification of taxation as an important component of capitalism has continued to change the way that theoretical sociologists conceptualise tax. This book documents the history of this literature to provide a summary of the topic for scholars seeking a bridge between taxation law and contextual, historical, and anthropological analyses of the development of the state, more generally. Whilst Schumpeter’s insights have been celebrated over the past one hundred years, taxation has slipped from the agenda of many scholarly disciplines, in relation to analyses of poverty, globalisation, and equality. Fiscal Sociology at the Centenary fills this gap. The implications of this literature for taxation law in the United Kingdom, in particular, are considered.
Sustainability of European Food Quality Schemes: Multi-Performance, Structure, and Governance of PDO, PGI, and Organic Agri-Food Systems
by Valentin Bellassen Filippo ArfiniThis edited volume evaluates recent EU quality policy, focusing on the structure, governance, technical specifications and performances – economic, environmental and social – of Food Quality Schemes (FQS) in the European Union and South East Asia. The intended benefits of FQS include generating a fair return for farmers and producers, and enabling consumers to make better‐informed purchasing choices through effective labeling. In addition, policy makers now consider FQS as a means of guaranteeing not only quality in food production, but also sustainability. Despite these potential benefits, the economic performance of the FQS (e.g. PDO, PGI, organic) has been variable. While some support significant value‐added production, with substantial benefits to producers, consumers and wider economies, many others have failed to become economically sustainable. In addition, the environmental and social performance of FQS remains largely unexamined, with the exception of the environmental performance of organic products. The editors examine these discrepancies and offer a nuanced evaluation of the effectiveness of such policies. Several unique features make this volume a key resource for those interested in FQS and in the sustainability of food products. The editors provide a concise description of the value chain, the governance and the technical specifications of 27 FQS in Europe and South East Asia. The editors also provide a sustainability assessment of each of these FQS, and support or question the view that FQS are moving from “quality” to “sustainability.” Finally, the volume serves as a repository of key data on these FQS. Readers have access to the raw data necessary to compute the indicators used in the sustainability assessment (eg. value added, number of jobs, quantity of fertilizers, etc), allowing them to conduct novel re-analysis. The book is designed for an interdisciplinary audience of academics, policy makers, and stakeholders. The compilation of FQS case studies makes it a useful reference for researchers and students of food policy, geography, food anthropology, local and rural development, local agri-food systems and agri-food chains. Stakeholders such as national and European regulators, entities responsible for FQS technical specifications, and embassy staff will also find the information relevant. Additionally, individuals helping to implement food quality schemes, including auditors, producers, and consumer associates, as well as stakeholders in the sustainability of food products, including farmers, farmer's associations, and environmental NGOs, will also find the information relevant and important for their work.
Linguistic Intermarriage in Australia: Between Pride and Shame
by Hanna Irving TorshThis book examines the experiences of couples with different language backgrounds and different cultural origins as they negotiate love, partnership and parenting. It is based on the author’s doctoral research into the attitudes and experiences of the English-speaking background (ESB) partners of non-English-speaking background (NESB) migrants in Sydney, Australia. In particular, it seeks to understand how these English speakers negotiate being in a romantic relationship with someone who has a different first language. It explores how those from an ESB reconcile the negative perspectives of Anglophone culture towards “other” languages, with their desire to be a good partner who respects the linguistic differences in their relationship. The book is organised into six chapters, which move from a focus on the language of the individual, to the languages of the couple, and then to the wider family. The main finding is that although ESB partners had very different beliefs and attitudes towards language learning to their migrant partners, they attempted to compensate for these differences in various ways. It will be of particular interest to students and scholars in the fields of language education, minority languages, and language policy and planning.
Intersex Rights: Living Between Sexes
by Nikoletta PikramenouThis book addresses intersex rights violations and analyses intersex people’s legal demands as expressed by intersex activists themselves and delivered through statements and reports issued by intersex rights organisations, the United Nations and the Council of Europe. Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that do not fit typical notions of male or female bodies, as a result of which they are stigmatised, marginalised and denied the recognition of their fundamental rights. Often, they are subjected to involuntary and harmful sex “normalising” surgeries at birth, which violate their bodily integrity, self-determination and informed consent, so as to comply with societal and legal norms.Moreover, binary legal frameworks prevent them from enjoying the rights to access identification documents, start a family, or be free from discrimination in all areas including employment and sports. To elaborate on intersex violations that emanate from binary laws, this book examines the situation of intersex rights in regional jurisdictions worldwide and within the European Union in particular. In the process, it identifies current legal barriers and suggests how intersex people could be accommodated under legal frameworks and achieve sex/gender equality beyond binary definitions.
Global Activism and Humanitarian Disarmament
by Matthew Breay Bolton Sarah Njeri Taylor Benjamin-BrittonThis book analyses the politics of the humanitarian disarmament community—a loose coalition of activist and advocacy groups, humanitarian agencies and diplomats—who have successfully achieved international treaties banning landmines, cluster munitions and nuclear weapons, as well as restricting the global arms trade. Two campaigns have won Nobel Peace Prizes. Disarmament has long been a dirty word in the international relations lexicon. But the success of the humanitarian disarmament agenda shows that people often choose to prohibit or limit certain violent technologies, for reasons of security, honour, ethics or humanitarianism. This edited volume showcases interdisciplinary research by scholars and practitioners seeking to understand the dynamics and impact of the new global activism on weapons. While some raise concerns that humanitarian disarmament may be piecemeal and depoliticizing, others see opportunities to breathe new life into moribund arms control policymaking. Foreword by 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams.
Citizenship on the Margins: State Power, Security and Precariousness in 21st-Century Jamaica (Studies of the Americas)
by Yonique CampbellThis book critically explores the impact of national security, violence and state power on citizenship rights and experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean. Drawing on cross-country analyses and fieldwork conducted in two “garrisons,” a middle-class community and among policy elites in Jamaica—where high levels of violence, in(security) and transnational organized crime are transforming state power —the author argues that dominant responses to security have wider implications for citizenship. The security practices of the state often result in criminalization, police abuse, violation of the rights of the urban poor and increased securitization of garrison spaces. As the tension between national security and citizenship increases, there is a centrality of the local as a site where citizenship is (re)defined, mediated, interpreted, performed and given meaning. While there is a dominant security discourse which focuses on state security, individuals at the local level articulate their own narratives which reflect lived-experiences and the particularities of socio-political milieu.