Kategoria BISAC: Political Science >> Public Policy - General

This book focuses on the triangle of power dynamics between presidents, prime ministers and parliamentary majorities, and the way it has evolved throughout the French Fifth Republic, the longest-lasting semi-presidential system. What are the main patterns in the functions and interactions of the three institutions? How do the personalities of presidents, prime ministers and leading parliamentarians shape the dynamics of the institutional system and France’s political evolution during each presidential term? To what extent do their ideological and partisan affiliations affect...

This edited volume delves into Sierra Leone's complex post-conflict landscape. It posits that the nation's path to peace and stability hinges on robust anticorruption measures. The chapters explore Sierra Leoneans' unique perception of corruption, reflecting its political, economic, legal and socio-cultural dimensions. Moving away from mere theoretical abstraction, the book pulls together fascinating practical discussions on the success and challenges of anti-corruption tools used in Sierra Leone. Approaches used to explain corruption in this postwar fragile democratic country include...

This volume focusses on the interplay of civic engagement and institutionalised politics and its role in both the erosion and retrieval of intermediate capabilities and procedures. Rather than discussing democracy as a relationship between citizens as individual voters and state power, the book studies the relationship between citizens engaged in or through organisations, movements and networks in civil society, and their impact in the context of institutionalised politics, be that through representative institutions and political parties or participation in administrative governance. The...

This book examines the role of improvisation in emergency response policies. Focusing on the Covid-19 pandemic in Italy, it demonstrates how improvisation can play a positive and productive role in emergency management. As well as offering one of the first systematic studies of policy responses to the pandemic in Italy - which was affected more than any other European country during the first wave of infection - it also throws light on the emotional, cognitive and behavioural strategies of the actors involved in emergency responses. These findings have important implications for emergency...

The Council of the EU is a powerful institution whose centrality has been challenged by the Treaty of Lisbon. More than ten years after this major institutional revision, this book examines its role within the EU political regime and its interactions with other institutions. It explores how the Council Presidency has navigated major crises over the past decade and addressed internal challenges. The various chapters discuss key timely questions: How has the relationship between the Council and the European Council evolved over time? To what extent have the recent crises reshaped the...

This book offers a comprehensive and insightful exploration of Oman's discourses on foreign policy and national identity in the context of the Middle East. The Sultanate of Oman is often hailed as a peaceful exception in the region, but this work goes beyond surface-level observations to reveal the intricate complexities of Oman's foreign policy and identity construction. With a keen focus on deconstructing essentialist understandings, the chapters delve into how discursive alignments and identity contents have shaped the government's quest for legitimacy, recognition, and status....

This book is a critical exploration of the intellectual foundations of American foreign policy on the left and the right. The left is inspired by Immanuel Kant’s idea that spreading democracy is the key to universal peace. The right is inspired by the realism of Thucydides, Leo Strauss, and Carl Schmitt. The emphasis is on military power as a sign of superiority and a means to survival. For the right, spreading democracy is merely a ploy for building a global commercial empire to rival the British. Drury gives reasons for rejecting both as manifestations of the chauvinism of the West.