Institutions (Political Science)

Exploring the Democratic Potential of Online Social Networking: The Scope and Limitations of e-Participation

by Panos Panagiotopoulos

In Communications of the Association for Information Systems 30 (16), 2012

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The availability and promise of social networking technologies with their perceived open philosophy has increasingly... more The availability and promise of social networking technologies with their perceived open philosophy has increasingly inspired citizens around the world to participate in political activity on the Web. Recent examples range from opposing public policies, such as government funding cuts, to organizing revolutionary social movements, such as those in the Middle East and North Africa. Although online spaces create remarkable opportunities for various forms of political action, there are concerns over the power of existing institutions to control and even censor such interaction spaces. The objective of this article is to draw together different insights on the online engagement phenomenon, highlighting both its potential and limitations as a mechanism for fostering democratic debate and influencing policy making. We examine recent examples from Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Finally, we summarize the implications of our work and outline directions for further research.

L’analyse des contraintes de la justice dans l’argumentation juridique

by Marc-Antoine Dilhac

Constitutional Rigidity and Procedures for Ratifying Constitutional Reforms in EU Member StatesReforms in EU Member States

by Carlos Closa

in Benz, Arthur and Felix Knüpling (eds.) (2012) Changing federal constitutions

When constitutional actors choose institutional rules, they do so following the very rational assumption that they can... more When constitutional actors choose institutional rules, they do so following the very rational assumption that they can predict the future outcomes of the application of these rules. However, failures to predict the whole range of all possible outcomes seem inevitable in rational decisions, since unintended consequences seem to be co-substantial to institutional choice. Within constitutions, the design of specific rules for amendment is particularly important since it is perceived that the amendability defines the stability of the system. Leaving aside the weight of contextual factors (such as historical and cultural factors), actors will choose a procedure trying to calculate whether the rules permit to amend the constitution. This decision derives from beliefs on the necessity to protect minorities, not to bound living generations to the will of passed ones, etc.

Институциональное оформление внутренней экологической политики Китая и Индии [Institutional design of Chinese and Indian domestic environmental policies]

by Ivan Sablin

published in Молодой ученый, no. 6-2, 2011, pp. 52–58.

Китай и Индия как крупнейшие развивающиеся страны привлекают значительный научный и общественный интерес. Динамичное... more Китай и Индия как крупнейшие развивающиеся страны привлекают значительный научный и общественный интерес. Динамичное развитие экономик двух стран оборачивается серьезными экологическими проблемами национального, транснационального и глобального масштабов. От того, как эти проблемы будут решаться, напрямую зависит будущее по крайней мере трети населения Земли. Многие, однако, склонны полагать, что в их решении заинтересованы и оставшиеся две трети, т.к. последствия экономического развития двух стран за последние десятилетия имеют планетарный характер. Если Индия и Китай приблизятся к уровню потребления развитых стран, то мир ожидает экологическая катастрофа, при этом прямой переход к устойчивым моделям развития видится трудноосуществимым. Какой путь развития изберут эти страны в ближайшие годы? Данный вопрос на сегодняшний день представляется чрезвычайно актуальным. Изучение процесса институционального становления экологической политики двух стран, постановки проблем в юридическом дискурсе и используемых для их решения инструментов приблизит нас к поиску ответа.

Social Partnership in Greece: Is There a Europeanization Effect?

by Dimitris Tsarouhas

Published in "European Journal of Industrial Relations" in 2008.

How should one understand the influence of Europeanization on social partnership? This article examines the impact of... more How should one understand the influence of Europeanization on social partnership? This article examines the impact of the European Employment Strategy (EES) on Greek social partnership and the role of employers and unions in the formulation of labour market policy. It identifies two potential levels of influence: first-level change which leads to an alteration of policy discourse, and second-level change which opens up space for reforms in policy actors' preferences and institutional resources. Empirical findings show a loose and indirect link between the advancement of Greek social partnership and the EES. Policy legacies and institutional inadequacies are decisive. Nonetheless, contrasting the Greek and Italian cases reveals the room for manoeuvre available to unions willing to invest in organizational restructuring and a bigger say in the policy process.

Rejoinder: teacher, teacher, where are you?

by Satyendra Nath Mishra

For full paper contact the author.

With fast changing social and economic milieus of society, our education system and especially teachers are put into... more With fast changing social and economic milieus of society, our education system and especially teachers are put into compartment of scrutiny. Subjects and topics are taught in class as if they are static, emotionless, compartmentalised and predictable. An attempt has been made to highlight the relationship that needs to be institutionalised in the educational system between teacher-student to make the learning process a dynamic wheel for change. Education is about understanding the values of what one teaches, studies and has respect for that [un]learning. This paper attempts to explore the identifiable characteristics of teachers-student relationship, which tries to defy the persisting narration sickness believed to have permeated in the existing educational institutions.

Key words: education, teacher, student, institutions.

Public Trust in Tourism Institutions

by Robin Nunkoo

Annals of Tourism Research (Forthcoming)

Political trust is important for good governance.  However, there is a paucity of research on this topic in the... more Political trust is important for good governance.  However, there is a paucity of research on this topic in the tourism literature.  This paper tests a model of public trust in tourism institutions based on the institutional and cultural theories of political trust.  Results from the structural equation modeling analysis suggest that the perceived economic and political performance of institutions, residents’ power in tourism, and interpersonal trust are good determinants of political trust in tourism institutions.  A significant relationship is also noted between public trust and political support for tourism.  The theoretical and practical implications of the findings, the study’s limitations and some directions for future research are discussed.

Industrial Democracy at Mondragón - Institutions and Social Relations

by Michael Soto

Inclusive institutions and stability of transition toward democracy in post-civil war states (forthcoming, Democratization)

by Madhav Joshi

This article attempts to bring together research on democratization and democratic consolidation with research on... more This article attempts to bring together research on democratization and democratic consolidation with research on civil war termination. The post-civil war environment is contentious and the transition toward democracy achieved after a civil war is susceptible to failure. The side that wins the democratic elections in a post-war state may use its democratically won power to dismantle the institutions of democracy and repress the opposition. The fear of constant marginalization in the political processes as well as the fear of being repressed might create incentives for the defeated party to return to civil war. By utilizing the expected utility framework, this article suggests that former rivals would support democratic transition if they were confident that inclusive institutions ensured that they could achieve their political interests through the democratic processes. After analysing the data on post-civil war transitions toward democracy (TTD) from 1946–2005, I found that the proportional representation system and the parliamentary system are the most important institutions that help sustain the post-civil war TTD.

Institutionalism, Encyclopedia of Governance, 2007 [To download click "More"]

by Boris Barkanov

Encyclopedia of Governance, Sage Reference Publications, 2008. Used as a template for long entries in The Barents Encyclopedia Project, pp. 9-14 (link below).

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Avrupa Birliği'nde Çıkar Temsilinin Gelişimi

by Uluslararası İlişkiler

Ahmet Arabacı, "Avrupa Birlği'nde Çıkar Temsilinin Gelişimi", Uluslararası İlişkiler, Cilt 5, Sayı 17 (Bahar), 2008

Yeni Kurumsalcılık kuramı, (eski) Kurumsalcılıktan farklı olarak, kurumların resmi ve hukuksal yapısının yanında,... more Yeni Kurumsalcılık kuramı, (eski) Kurumsalcılıktan farklı olarak, kurumların resmi ve hukuksal yapısının yanında, gayri resmi yapılarının ve değerlerinin de önemli olduğunu vurgulamaktadır. Avrupa Birliği (AB) kurumları, çıkar temsilini kendi yetki ve değerleri çerçevesinde yönlendirir. Dolayısıyla, bu kuram, AB çıkar temsilindeki gelişmelerin analizinde kullanılabilir. AB’de çıkar temsilinin ve lobiliciliğin gelişimini etkileyen en önemli iki etken vardır. Bunlardan birincisi, AB antlaşmalarıyla birlikte, AB kurumlarının yasama süreçlerindeki yetkilerinin değişimidir. İkincisi ise, AB kurumlarının yetkileri ve değerleri çerçevesinde, çıkar temsil biçimini yönlendirmesidir. Ulus-üstü kurumların, ortak politikalar konusundaki karar alma yetkileri artmış ve lobilere yönelik tavırları değişmiştir. Bu etkenler ve gelişmeler, ilk olarak, AB’deki lobilerin sayısının artmasına yol açmıştır. İkinci olarak, çıkar temsilini AB düzeyine kaydırmıştır. Üçüncü olarak ise, çıkar temsilinin gelişimindeki belirleyici işlevleri, Yeni Kurumsalcılığının (YK) öngörüsüne uygun düşmektedir.

Economic growth and political survival

by Paul Burke

Burke, Paul J. 2012. “Economic Growth and Political Survival.” B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics 12(1).

Using data for 162 countries for the period 1962-2006, this paper examines the importance of the national economic... more Using data for 162 countries for the period 1962-2006, this paper examines the importance of the national economic growth rate for the ability of a national leader to retain his or her position. To address the potential endogeneity of economic growth, I use commodity prices, export partner incomes, precipitation, and temperature to instrument for a country’s growth rate. The results indicate that faster economic growth increases the short-run likelihood that leaders will remain in office. The results are robust to controlling for a host of leader-, party-, and country-level variables. The effect of growth on the likelihood of leader exits appears to be generally similar across both democracies and autocracies. Economic growth has the largest impact on the likelihood of regular leader exits rather than irregular exits such as coups. Evidence is also presented on whether economic growth affects the likelihood that leaders employ oppressive tactics against opponents.

O problema da participação política no modelo deliberativo de democracia / The question of the political participation within the deliberativa model of democracy

by Francisco Paulo Jamil Marques

Reference: MARQUES, F. P. J. A. O problema da participação política no modelo deliberativo de democracia. In: Revista de Sociologia e Política (UFPR. Impresso), v.20, n. 41, pp. 21-35. 2012

Title in English: The question of the political participation within the deliberativa model of democracy. Text in... more Title in English: The question of the political participation within the deliberativa model of democracy. Text in Portuguese. Abstract in English: This paper discusses the premises of the deliberative model of democracy as they address the issue of political participation. We attempt to clarify what political participation means for those who use this model, while at the same time looking at some of the major critiques that have been directed toward it. Through a review of an important part of the literature, and without losing sight of earlier systematizations of democratic theory, three fundamental conditions for engendering participation according to this discursive model are pointed to: political institutions should create and offer citizens opportunities to participate in public input; improvement in people's socio-economic condition must be made; attention should be given to particular principles that have consistent regulatory influence on the interactions and arguments in question. This is followed by attention to the criticisms raised and flaws detected by deliberationism's detractors. At the end of the text, a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the model is presented, along with a discussion of the problem of participation in contemporary democracies.

Keywords: Participation; Deliberation; Democracy; Representation.

Everyday practices, everyday pedagogies: a dialogue on critical transformations in a multilingual HK school (In co-authorship with Carlos Soto)

by Miguel Pérez Milans

In: Julie Byrd Clark & Fred Dervin (Eds.), Reflexivity and Multimodality in Language Education: Rethinking Multilingualism and Interculturality in accelerating, complex and transnational spaces. New York: Routledge.

This chapter provides a reflexive dialogue between a researcher and one of his focused participants, a teacher... more This chapter provides a reflexive dialogue between a researcher and one of his focused participants, a teacher involved in critical pedagogy, in the course of a critical sociolinguistic ethnography carried out in Hong Kong. Data collection was focused on a local school coping with declining enrolment that had recently implemented an International Division aimed at teaching multi-lingual ethnic minority students through English as a medium of instruction, while maintaining a local division serving the school’s majority Chinese student population. In the context of a local pre-university education system traversed by competitiveness, streaming, exam-oriented teaching practices, and reforms aimed at developing a knowledge economy, participants at the research site emphasized the extent to which the International Division provided minority students with opportunities to overcome a marginalised position. However, the fieldwork pointed to institutional tensions over resources and practices. Analysis of classroom and Facebook interactions reveals how all these conditions set up interactional contexts where teachers and students faced difficulties in negotiating meaning, yet were able to achieve transformational forms of resistance. With very different ages and levels of English proficiency in a same classroom, participants constructed meaning by leaning on various languages, modes of communication, voices, genres and registers that allowed them to display not only official knowledge, but also a wide range identities. On the basis of these interactional dynamics, the researcher and his focused teacher engage in a collaborative reflection on what ‘critical’ means to them under those everyday circumstances, with an emphasis on the potentials of a collaborative reflection like this for both critical educators and sociolinguists interested school spaces as sites for empowerment.

Dr. Miguel Pérez-Milans has conducted sociolinguistic ethnography in Spain, London, and China.
Carlos Soto is a doctoral student and has worked as an educator in the United States and Hong Kong.

Keywords: critical research in education, critical sociolinguistics, critical pedagogy, Hong Kong education, multilingualism, ethnic minorities, youth, institutional transformation, social inequality, social agency.

Confronting or Complementing? A Case Study on NGO-State Relations from Kerala, India

by Bejoy K Thomas

Bejoy K. Thomas, Roldan Muradian, Gerard de Groot & Arie de Ruijter (2010) "Confronting or Complementing? A Case Study on NGO-State Relations from Kerala, India" Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 21(3): 358-370.

Resilient and Resourceful? A Case Study on How the Poor Cope in Kerala, India

by Bejoy K Thomas

Bejoy K. Thomas, Roldan Muradian, Gerard de Groot & Arie de Ruijter (2010) "Resilient and Resourceful? A Case Study on How the Poor Cope in Kerala, India" Journal of Asian and African Studies 45(1): 29-45.

Informal Institutions, Forms of State and Democracy: the Turkish Deep State

by Mehtap Söyler

Gestion des ressources naturelles et système institutionnel de gouvernance en Tunisie

by Aude-Annabelle Canesse

Canesse A.-A., 2010, « Gestion des ressources naturelles et système institutionnel de gouvernance », Maghreb-Machrek, n°202, pp. 49-64

Mots-clés: Gouvernance - Gestion des ressources naturelles - Tunisie - GDA - Groupement de développement agricole -... more Mots-clés: Gouvernance - Gestion des ressources naturelles - Tunisie - GDA - Groupement de développement agricole - Développement

Key Words: Governance - Natural Resource Management - Tunisia - ADG - Agricultural Development Groups - Development

Rural 'Participation' and its Framework in Tunisia

by Aude-Annabelle Canesse

Canesse A.-A., 2010, « Rural ‘participation’ and its framework in Tunisia », Journal of Economic and Social Research, vol. 12, n°1, pp. 63-88

Mots-clés: GDA - Groupement de développement agricole - Tunisie - Rural participation - Techniques d'encadrement -... more Mots-clés: GDA - Groupement de développement agricole - Tunisie - Rural participation - Techniques d'encadrement - Développement

Key words: ADG - Agricultural Development Group - Tunisia - Participation - Rural Techniques Framework - Development

Le Parlement européen: des prérogatives croissantes

by Nathalie Brack

co-authored with O. Costa, published in Questions internationales, n°45, 2010, pp.57-66