The book tackles a key issue for the European Union: Fiscal Federalism. It evaluates the applicability of this theoretical perspective for the EU. Conversely, it pinpoints ways in which the diversity of existing fiscal settings and organisations, both at national and European levels, can throw light on the theory.
The study analyses two of the most important European policies: Cohesion Policy and the Stability and Growth Pact. It compares the episode of German Unification to the 2004 European Enlargement. It pioneers a cross-country analysis of the various national fiscal settings....

Theater has always been the site of visionary hopes for a reformed national future and a space for propagating ideas, both cultural and political, and such a conceptualization of the histrionic art is all the more valuable in the post-9/11 era. The essays in this volume address the concept of -Americanness- and the perceptions of the -alien- as ethnic, class or gendered minorities as dealt with in the work of American playwrights from Anna Cora Mowatt, through Rachel Crothers or Susan Glaspell, and on to Sam Shepard, David Mamet, Nilo Cruz or Wallace Shawn. The authors of the essays come from...

In the 19th century, the metropolis became the soothsayer of societies. Here, probabilities of progress could be perceived, felt and smelt; here was the showcase of each nation s prime productions and representations. Travellers took to the metropolis in order to unravel the foreign society, in order to understand and learn about social characteristics and future developments, about cultural distinctions and commonalities, about banalities and extraordinary events.
Travel writers mapped the development of Europe s metropolises and wrote for a large market using the form of a highly...

The theory of comparative federalism asserts that federations require a second chamber for the representation of regional interests in central law-making. Yet there has been little systematic analysis of the contribution of second chambers in parliamentary federations to this task. The main purpose of this book is to demonstrate to what extent the two strongest parliamentary second chambers, the Australian Senate and the German Bundesrat are linked to the federal structures in which they are embedded. The study analyzes the contribution of the members of these second chambers in advancing...

This volume offers challenging assessments of the reconfigurations that have shaped Anglophone and Francophone Canadian literatures in the last decades of the twentieth century. Focusing on the pursuit of an ever-elusive -Canadianness- in literary texts, it documents the astonishing range of Canadian diasporic identities that have recently emerged in the Canadian literary landscape. The contributors to this volume boldly transgress the widely held critical assumptions of postcolonialism in their examination of the literary representations of contemporary Canada s many -Others-.
Ce volume...

In this collection, specialists examine, often through a comparative filter, themes related to migrant literatures, cultural diversity and aspects of Canadian state policy. The results of this examination offer an overview of Canadian society, which, as most contemporary societies, must address issues such as identity, human rights, Aboriginal peoples, international relations, multiculturalism, pollution, and language policies. At the same time, they present a view of the new trends, key interests and the cutting edge in Canadian Studies.
Des specialistes examinent dans ce recueil,...

Ce livre collectif s appuie sur l atelier pluridisciplinaire de jeunes chercheurs qui s est tenu a Louvain-la-Neuve les 11-13 juin 2003. Il se penche sur des cas concrets dans les secteurs du transport routier, de l informatique et des telecommunications des annees 1950 aux annees 1980. Il etudie la naissance difficile et conflictuelle d une - expertise - des acteurs sur le terrain nouveau de l Europe integree. Tandis que les entreprises decouvrent l importance d agir sur le processus de decision en marche, elles se voient attribuer une place dans cette concertation participative. Ce nouveau...

Is there a specifically European response to international terrorism? Bringing together practitioners and academic experts this volume analyses the international context, threat perceptions and multi-dimensional nature of EU counter-terrorism measures. These cover legislative and operational measures, internal and international action and cut across all areas of EU responsibility and activity. A cooperative and coordinated system of national policies and anti-terrorism capabilities has been set up. However, the EU finds it easier to agree on objectives than on implementing them...

The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 on the United States provoked a significant shift in thinking about peace and security, and much has since been written about new security threats and challenges.
This collection of essays revisits some of the more traditional concepts of peace and security that remain valid and pertinent today, despite having ceded much of the limelight to the major security preoccupations of the current era: international terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, rogue states and related phenomena.
The book covers numerous salient topics, from arms...

Since the mid-1970s, many developed states have reduced the size and scope of their welfare systems. At the same time, states have faced growing demands for self-government from national minorities. These twin processes have had a substantial impact upon the structure, power and legitimacy of the state, yet few have considered their inter-relationship.
This book aims to fill this gap by conducting a focused comparison of nationalism and welfare development in Scotland and Quebec. The recent emergence of Scottish and Quebecois nationalism took place against a backdrop of welfare...